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THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  WASHINGTON 


boretum 


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A JOURNAL  OF  GENERAL  HORTICULTURAL  INFORMATION 
PUBLISHED  QUARTERLY  BY  THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  WASHINGTON 
ARBORETUM  FOUNDATION  • SEATTLE  5,  WASHINGTON 


No  part  of  this  BULLETIN  may  be  reprinted  with- 
out the  authority  of  the  Arboretum  Foundation. 


VOLUME  XXI,  NUMBER  1 

Sfitiinq,  /958 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 

Fall  and  Winter  Plantings  in  the  Arboretum B.  O.  Mulligan  2 

Hamamelidaceae Beth  Gilley  Malmo  3 

The  Shrubby  Penstemons Jean  G.  Witt  7 

Bog  Gardens Frances  Kinne  Roberson  10 

Newer  Hybrid  Lilies C.  L.  Shride  12 

American  Primulas Grace  T.  Dowling  15 

The  Fascinating  Bamboos Lowell  Casey  18 

The  University  of  Washington  Arboretum  Blooming  Calendar 

Insert 


Notes  and  Comment 21 

Arboretum  Notebook 23 

Book  Reviews 26 


Cover:  Rhododendron  sutchuenense  var.  Geraldii 
Photo  by  Don  Normark,  March  18,  1957 


Fall  and  Winter  Plantings  in  the  Arboretum 

B.  O.  Mulligan 


HpHE  weather  from  October,  1957,  to  the 
end  of  January  this  year  has  been  excep- 
tionally favorable  for  planting;  we  have  there- 
fore taken  advantage  of  such  good  conditions 
to  push  on  with  this  important  aspect  of  the 
Arboretum’s  development. 

A brief  summary  of  the  weather  experienced 
is  worth  recording.  In  October,  although  the 
month  produced  more  rain  (4.61  inches  total) 
than  the  normal  2.92  inches,  there  were  17 
dry  days  and  no  frosts.  The  lowest  temper- 
ature was  36  degrees  F.  on  the  20th. 

November  behaved  in  opposite  fashion, 
being  much  drier  than  usual,  with  only  2.94 
inches  instead  of  4.46  inches  of  rain,  and  20 
dry  days,  unusual  for  this  month.  Slight  frosts 
occurred  on  five  days,  the  lowest  figure  being 
28  degrees  F.  on  the  21st. 

From  mid-December  onwards  rainfall  was 
persistent,  totaling  5.13  inches,  or  almost  the 
normal  for  this  month.  After  the  14th  only 
two  days  were  dry,  the  30th  and  31st,  and  on 
those  frosts  occurred,  27  degrees  F.  on  the 
latter  being  the  coldest.  So  we  went  into  the 
New  Year  with  the  ground  thoroughly  wet  and 
the  growth  of  plants  only  slightly  checked. 

January  proved  even  wetter  than  its  pred- 
ecessor, with  rain  on  22  days  totaling  8.10 
inches;  normal  is  4.49  inches.  On  the  16th, 
1.74  inches  were  recorded,  the  heaviest  fall 
since  November  2,  1955  (1.81  inches).  No 
doubt  this  wet  weather  largely  prevented 
frosts,  which  were  only  noted  on  four  days  this 
month,  and  nothing  below  30  degrees  F.  in 
temperature. 

Having  such  appropriate  weather  we  were 
able  to  proceed  steadily  and  systematically 
with  moving  young  plants  from  the  nursery 
to  permanent  places  in  the  Arboretum.  Some 
of  the  larger  and  more  important  plantings 
have  been  the  following: 

AZALEAS.  58  plants  of  Glenn  Dale  hybrids, 
of  13  varieties,  to  the  bed  at  the  north  end  of 
Azalea  Way,  on  the  west  side.  A group  of  20 


plants  of  another  variety  at  the  south  end  on 
the  east  side. 

CAMELLIAS.  17  plants  placed  in  the 
Camellia  collection  south  of  Rhododendron 
Glen  (13  varieties  of  C.  japonica,  4 of  C. 
Sasanqua).  Some  of  these  came  from  the 
University  of  California,  Berkeley,  March, 
1956.  11  forms  of  C.  japonica  to  the  Williams 
Memorial  garden,  chiefly  young  plants  pur- 
chased in  December,  1955,  with  funds  from 
the  sponsoring  Amateur  Gardeners. 

CHERRIES.  17  plants  of  ten  kinds,  along 
Azalea  Way,  to  replace  some  of  those  killed 
by  cold  in  November,  1955.  Groups  of  “Ake- 
bono”  and  “Shogetsu”  and  single  plants  of 
“Hizakura,”  “Hillieri”  and  Sargentii  are 
among  them. 

CONIFERS.  Chiefly  junipers,  firs,  spruces 
and  a few  pines,  numbering  74  plants  of  37 
kinds.  Most  of  the  junipers  are  on  the  bank 
south  of  the  cottage,  east  of  the  Madison 
Street  entrance;  the  firs  in  the  new  Euonymus 
collection,  down  the  hillside  west  of  the  hollies. 

HEATHERS.  On  the  bank  by  the  parking 
area  at  the  head  of  Rhododendron  Glen,  90 
plants  of  three  spring  and  summer  blooming 
kinds,  including  “Dawn.”  Along  Azalea  Way, 
on  the  east  side  south  of  Woodland  Garden, 
200  plants  of  four  kinds  (50  of  each),  also 
for  summer  effect. 

HOLLIES.  24  plants  have  been  added  to 
the  collection,  of  which  seven  are  forms  of 
Ilex  A qui folium,  the  remainder  representing 
five  other  species  of  which  three  are  deciduous, 
I.  geniculata,  /.  macropoda  and  I.  serrata,  and 
all  native  to  Japan. 

LILACS.  The  first  groups  have  been  plant- 
ed in  the  new  location  on  the  hillside  below 
the  Euonymus,  which  can  also  be  reached 
from  the  south  end  of  Azalea  Way.  These  are 
all  species,  or  interspecific  hybrids — 13  plants 
of  seven  kinds  were  taken  from  the  nursery, 
and  single  plants  of  eight  others  moved  from 

(Continued  on  Page  22) 


2 


Hamamelidaceae 

Beth  Gilley  Malmo* 


HPHIS  family  contains  most  interesting  mem- 
bers with  wide  appeal  to  the  botanist,  to 
the  practical  gardener  looking  for  early  blos- 
soming plant  material  and  to  the  homemaker 
anxious  for  cut  flowers  when  winter  chill  is 
still  in  the  air.  At  the  growing  season’s  end 
many  of  the  Hamamelis  family  don  gorgeous 
hues  of  yellow,  orange  and  crimson  before 
dropping  their  leaves  for  winter.  In  this  group 
we  find  the  well-known  witch-hazels  which 
bloom  in  mid-winter,  the  Corylopsis  from  Asia 
which  wreathes  itself  in  spring  in  soft  yellow, 
the  Liquidambar,  both  Oriental  and  Ameri- 
can, the  Fothergilla  of  our  southeastern  states, 
and  several  other  lesser  known  and  less  im- 
portant members  to  which  reference  will  be 
made  later. 

*We  are  sure  this  will  be  a most  welcome  sub- 
ject to  our  readers,  as  handled  in  her  inimitable 
style  by  Mrs.  Malmo  of  the  Editorial  staff. 


The  Winter  Garden  area  in  the  Arboretum 
is  a fascinating  spot.  Here  is  growing  the 
Hamamelis  genus,  the  witch-hazels,  about  six 
species  of  deciduous  shrubs  or  small  trees, 
truly  winter-blooming.  These  can  be  striking 
objects  in  the  wintry  landscape  with  their 
bright  yellow  flowers  on  leafless  branches. 
The  curious  slender  strap-shaped  petals  are 
uninjured  even  at  zero  temperatures.  The 
seeds  when  ripe  are  shining  black  and  are 
shot  out  forcefully  to  a considerable  distance. 
They  take  two  years  to  germinate.  Their 
autumn  foliage  turns  bright  yellow,  orange  or 
purple,  making  a beautiful  blaze  of  color  in 
the  waning  season.  These  witch-hazels  like 
a rich  light  moist  loam  with  peat  or  leaf  mold 
and  the  Asian  species  appreciate  more  sun 

Below: 

Fothergilla  monticola  flowering  in 
Woodland  Garden  late  May 
(Fig.  1)  PHOTO  BY  E.  F.  MARTEN 


than  our  native  North  American  species  seem 
to  need. 

Perhaps  the  showiest  of  this  genus  and  cer- 
tainly the  earliest  is  Hamamelis  mollis  from 
China,  the  “Chinese  witch-hazel.”  This  is  a 
shrub  to  eight  feet  or  so.  By  the  second  week 
of  January  the  starkly  naked  branches  are 
thickly  set  with  rich  golden  orange  pompons 
half  the  size  of  golf  balls,  making  a glowing 
spot  of  color  from  a distance.  A few  large 
last  year’s  leaves,  brown  and  crisp,  still  ad- 
here to  the  bush,  making  a pleasing  symphony 
of  the  old  with  the  new.  A closer  examination 
of  the  flower  reveals  the  very  narrow  crumpled 
yellow  petals  thinly  grouped  around  a maroon- 
colored  calyx.  The  flower  has  a delightful 
fragrance.  In  the  autumn  the  foliage  turns  a 
beautiful  golden  yellow.  Little  pruning  is 
needed  but  if  one  likes  formal  effects  H.  mollis 
may  be  grown  as  a standard  and  is  quite  strik- 
ing when  so  used.  This  is  by  far  the  hand- 
somest of  the  witch-hazels.  The  variety  pal- 
lida has  blossoms  of  a paler  yellow. 

H.  japonica,  from  Japan,  contains  three 
varieties,  of  which  H.  j.  arborea  is  actually  a 
small  tree  to  15  feet  or  more,  reminding  one 
of  a small  peach  tree  in  form,  with  widely 
spreading  branches.  The  blossoms  are  more 
subdued  in  color  than  H.  mollis,  from  a dis- 
tance appearing  to  be  a rather  dull  deep  char- 
treuse-yellow. This  was  beginning  to  bloom 
on  leafless  twigs  on  January  14  in  the  Winter 
Garden.  Close  examination  of  the  faintly 
fragrant  blossom  reveals  the  calyx  is  deep 
purple  inside.  The  stamens  also  are  purple, 
against  which  the  thin,  yellow,  narrow,  curly 
petals  make  an  interesting  contrast.  Charming 
as  is  any  leafless  tree  blossoming  in  mid- 
winter, this  does  not  have  the  brilliant  accent 
of  color  made  by  the  earlier  blooming  H.  mol- 
lis. 

H.  j.  Zuccariniana  is  also  tree-like  in  form 
but  of  more  upright  habit  than  arborea,  and 
smaller-flowered  with  petals  of  pale  lemon- 
yellow  above  a greenish  calyx.  The  flowers 
bloom  three  weeks  or  more  later  than  the 
other  H.  japonica  varieties.  This  was  in  tight 


and  prolific  bud  on  January  14  when  H.  mol- 
lis was  in  full  bloom. 

H.  j.  flavo-purpurascens  differs  from  most 
of  the  rest  of  this  group  in  coloring:  the  petals 
are  reddish  towards  the  base  and  the  calyx  is 
purple.  The  small  blossoms  in  themselves  are 
not  showy  but  a good  form  well  placed  can 
be  a much-admired  object  when  blooming  in 
mid-winter.  The  delicate  petals  of  all  these 
early  blooming  Hamamelis  seem  to  withstand 
temperatures  down  to  zero  without  injury. 

Two  members  of  the  Hamamelis  genus  are 
native  Americans,  H.  vernalis  and  H.  vir- 
giniana. 

H.  vernalis,  hailing  from  Missouri  south  to 
Louisiana  and  west  to  Oklahoma,  is  a sucker- 
ing  upright  shrub  to  six  feet.  This  is  the 
Spring  witch-hazel  which  is  still  in  tight  bud 
when  the  winter  blossoms  of  H.  mollis  are  full 
and  H.  j.  arborea  is  just  beginning.  The  yel- 
low flowers  have  a dark  red  calyx.  This 
witch-hazel  is  not  so  showy  as  many  others 
but  the  blossoms  are  delightfully  fragrant. 
The  Arboretum  has  two  different  varieties 
not  widely  grown,  namely  carnea  and  pur- 
purea. 

The  other  native  American,  H.  virginiana,  a 
shrub  or  small  tree  to  twelve  feet  or  more, 
found  from  Canada  to  Florida  and  west  to 
Nebraska  and  Texas,  distinguishes  itself  from 
the  other  witch-hazels  by  opening  its  yellow 
flowers  in  autumn  when  they  are  usually  hid- 
den by  the  foliage  which  turns  an  outstanding 
and  brilliant  yellow.  The  bark  and  leaves  are 
the  source  of  Bay  Rum.  This  species  is  fre- 
quently used  for  grafting  stock.  The  variety 
rubescens  has  reddish  petals  with  large  leaves 
which  also  turn  brilliant  yellow  in  autumn. 
As  these  are  falling  the  rather  inconspicuous 
half-hidden  flowers  open  and  exhale  a heavy 
fragrance. 

H.  macro phylla  is  a closely  related  species 
from  the  same  general  area. 

Another  large  genus  in  this  family  of  Ham- 
amelidaceae  is  Corylopsis,  a name  which 
means  “like  the  hazel,”  alluding  to  habits  of 
growth  and  the  similarity  of  the  leaves.  These 
are  ornamental  deciduous  spreading  shrubs, 


4 


natives  of  Asia,  easily  grown  in  a light,  loamy 
soil.  The  handsome  deeply- veined  leaves,  more 
or  less  cordate,  make  the  shrubs  interesting 
even  when  not  in  flower.  The  blossoms,  charm- 
ing in  their  soft  fragrant  beauty,  are  profuse 
and  early  on  leafless  branches. 

One  of  the  best  is  the  Japanese  C.  spicata, 
a hardy  deciduous  shrub  to  six  feet  with  silky 
young  shoots  and  woolly  leaf-veins  and  stalks. 
The  fragrant,  bright  to  deep  yellow  flowers, 
are  profusely  produced,  6 to  12  on  drooping 
spikes  1 - 1J4  inches  long,  and  are  very  hand- 
some in  early  spring,  often  at  their  best  in 
late  March.  This  species  has  larger  and  more 
handsome  foliage  than  the  one  described  be- 
low, and  the  flowers,  more  freely  produced,  are 
deeper  colored  in  longer  racemes.  An  excel- 
lent species. 

Frequently  seen  about  Seattle  is  the  Japa- 
nese C.  pauciflora,  the  Winter  Hazel.  This  is 
a delightful  shrub,  spreading  ultimately  to  six 
feet,  differing  from  all  others  in  this  genus  by 
its  flowers,  which  are  large  and  wide  open, 
about  y4  inch  across,  produced  in  clusters  of 
two  and  three  on  short  spikes.  Although  these 
blossoms  are  more  beautiful  than  in  C.  spicata 
described  above,  they  are  not  so  freely  pro- 
duced. The  sprays  of  soft  yellow  blossoms 
may  be  cut  from  late  February  through  March, 
depending  on  the  season.  They  are  delightful 
by  themselves  or  may  be  arranged  with  the 
rosy  lavender  Rhododendron  mucronulatum, 
in  bloom  at  the  same  time.  The  foliage  of  this 
species,  and  perhaps  of  some  of  the  others, 
has  bronzy  tints  in  summer.  This  is  beautiful 
cut  for  bouquets. 

C.  Grifjithii  is  closely  related  to  C.  spicata 
with  even  larger  leaves  and  longer  racemes  of 
closely  packed  blossoms.  This  species  is  not 
as  hardy  as  many  others  herein  described  al- 
though it  is  one  of  the  most  ornamental  of 
Corylopsis. 

C.  glabrescens,  one  of  the  hardiest  species, 
is  from  Japan.  This  makes  a shrub  or  small 
tree  to  18  feet,  with  the  usual  deeply- veined 
leaves  and  yellow  fragrant  flowers  with  longer 
petals  than  in  the  type,  on  pendent  short 
spikes  in  April.  This  does  not  have  the  orna- 


mental value  attributed  to  several  others  in 
this  genus. 

C.  sinensis  will  grow  up  to  15  feet,  a really 
large  shrub  or  small  tree.  The  lemon-yellow 
fragrant  flowers  are  thickly  clustered,  12  to 
18  on  pendulous  spikes  1-2  inches  long,  and 
come  in  April.  Like  C.  spicata  this  hardy 
species  has  woolly  veins  on  the  young  leaves, 
but  first  arrived  from  central  and  west  China 
in  1901. 

Another  Corylopsis  native  to  central  China 
is  C.  V eitchiana,  growing  to  six  feet.  The  new 
shoots  of  this  species  are  definitely  reddish. 
The  fragrant,  spoon-shaped  primrose-yellow 
flowers  have  red-brown  anthers  and  are 
crowded  in  April  on  drooping  spikes  1-1^4 
inches  long,  resembling  somewhat  the  form  of 
the  pendulous  inflorescence  of  our  native  Acer 
macrophyllum. 

C.  platypetala,  another  central  Chinese 
shrub  of  six  to  nine  feet,  is  perhaps  less  showy 
than  some  of  the  other  species  named  but  fol- 
lows the  general  pattern  of  the  group  with 
its  interesting,  deeply-veined  leaves  and  pale 
primrose-yellow  fragrant  flowers  with  broad 
spoon-shaped  petals  in  April,  on  short  2-3 
inch  spikes.  This  was  still  in  fat  brown  buds 
in  mid-January  when  H.  mollis  was  in  full 
bloom.  The  variety  levis  to  the  casual  eye  is 
not  noticeably  different. 

C.  Willmottiae  from  West  China  is  a shrub 
to  12  feet  and  varies  from  all  others  in  this 
genus  in  that  its  winter  buds  are  pale  and 
shining  green  instead  of  dull  brown.  The  fra- 
grant soft  yellow  flowers  have  spoon-shaped 
petals  with  yellow  anthers  and  are  arranged 
rather  thickly,  20  or  so,  on  2-3  inch  spikes 
in  April. 

C.  Wilsonii  is  a shrub  or  small  tree  to  15 
feet  from  central  China.  Spring  brings  forth 
its  pale  yellow  flowers  in  spikes  of  2 - 3 inches. 

C.  yunnanensis  is  a little  taller  than  the 
last,  a shrub  or  small  tree  to  20  feet,  with 
young  shoots  which  are  purplish.  In  April  the 
flowers  are  pale  to  orange-yellow  and  are 
densely  set  in  spikes  1 - \ l/2  inches  long. 

The  genus  Fothergilla,  the  witch-alders, 
brings  us  back  to  the  United  States  and  con- 


5 


sists  of  deciduous  shrubs  all  of  which  are  found 
in  the  southeastern  part  of  our  country.  They 
are  very  near  to  the  witch-hazels.  However, 
the  inflorescence  of  Fothergilla  is  quite  dif- 
ferent, being  without  petals,  and  having  24 
stamens  in  each  flower.  In  this  case  the  blos- 
som’s sole  beauty  is  the  round  or  oblong  brush 
of  thickly  set  stamens,  reminding  one  of  the 
bottle  brush. 

F.  Gardeni  is  a low  deciduous  shrub  to 
3 feet  or  so  with  upright  slender  spreading 
branches  and  is  found  from  Virginia  to  Geor- 
gia. The  flowers,  without  petals,  are  con- 
spicuous and  consist  of  white  stamens  in 
cylindrical  terminal  spikes  in  April  and  May 
when  they  are  pretty  and  fragrant.  The  foli- 
age turns  a beautiful  crimson  before  falling. 
This  differs  from  the  following  in  its  much 
smaller  stature  and  much  smaller  inflorescence. 

F.  major  is  a most  charming  upright  orna- 
mental shrub  of  pyramidal  or  rounded  habit, 
to  ten  feet,  found  from  Virginia  to  South 
Carolina.  It  is  very  conspicuous  in  May  with 
its  numerous  erect,  cylindrical  two-inch  spikes 
of  fragrant  white  brush-like  stamens.  In  the 
autumn  the  leaves  turn  orange-yellow.  This 
species  is  superior  in  every  way  to  the  shrub 
described  above. 

F.  par vi folia  is  a smaller  species  closely  re- 
lated to  F.  Gardeni  but  with  leaves  slightly 
different  in  shape,  these  being  more  heart- 
shaped.  This  is  found  from  North  Carolina  to 
Florida. 

F.  monticola,  a deciduous  shrub  to  six  feet, 
found  from  North  Carolina  to  Alabama,  is 
very  similar  to  F.  major  but  is  of  more  open 
and  spreading  habit.  The  rather  large,  erect 
1-2  inch  spikes  of  flowers  follow  the  usual 
pattern  and  are  white  and  brush-like  without 
petals.  The  leaves  in  autumn  turn  red.  This 
species  is  fully  as  ornamental  as  F.  major  and 
grows  equally  well  (fig.  1). 

Liquidambar:  This  word  comes  from  the 
Latin  liquidus , fluid,  and  the  Arabic  ambar, 
amber,  and  refers  to  the  fragrant  resin  exud- 
ing from  the  bark  of  L.  orientalis,  a species 
closely  related  to  the  native  Sweet  Gum  ( L . 
Styraciflua).  The  leaves  of  this  genus  bear  a 


close  resemblance  to  the  maples,  but  the  dis- 
tinguishing feature  is  the  arrangement;  the 
Liquidambar  leaves  grow  alternately,  while 
those  of  the  maple  are  opposite. 

L.  orientalis  is  rare  in  cultivation  and  of 
slow  growth,  although  in  its  native  Asia  Minor 
it  may  reach  100  feet*.  As  stated  above,  from 
the  inner  bark  comes  a soft  fragrant  resin, 
“liquid  storax,”  which  has  medicinal  proper- 
ties said  to  be  valuable  in  treating  bronchial 
infections. 

L.  Styraciflua,  the  stately  Sweet  Gum  of 
our  eastern  United  States,  is  a handsome  pyra- 
midal symmetrical  tree  to  100  feet  or  more. 
Its  name  derives  from  the  fragrant  resin  which 
is  known  as  “sweet  gum.”  This  tree  is  prob- 
ably the  best  known  and  most  useful  species 
of  this  genus.  Its  leaves  are  maple-like  and 
turn  beautiful  shades  of  crimson  and  orange 
in  autumn.  As  a winter  specimen  the  tree 
is  conspicuous  by  its  deeply  furrowed  bark 
on  the  trunk,  by  its  corky  younger  branches 
and  pendulous  globular  fruits  which  persist 
throughout  the  winter.  Commercially  its 
wood,  although  not  of  first  quality,  is  used  in 
furniture  making  and  is  called  “satin  walnut.” 

L.  form o sana  is  from  China  and  Formosa 
where  it  grows  to  80  feet  and  is  similar  in 
habit  to  L.  styraciflua.  This  tree  is  not  re- 
liably hardy  in  our  area,  although  very  suc- 
cessful around  San  Francisco.  In  its  native 
habitat  the  timber  is  used  for  making  chests 
for  exporting  tea.  Its  variety  monticola,  from 
western  China,  differs  very  little  but  may  be 
a hardier  tree. 

The  following  seven  genera  are  not  particu- 
larly well  known  in  our  area: 

Loropetalum  chinense  (from  loron,  thong, 
petalon,  petal;  the  petals  are  long  and  nar- 
row.) A twiggy  evergreen  shrub  from  China 
growing  to  six  feet  with  crooked  wiry  branch- 
lets.  The  flowers,  which  resemble  those  of 
witch-hazel,  are  white,  3 - 6 in  a crowded  ter- 
minal head  in  February  and  March.  This 

(Continued  on  Page  30) 

*Reintroduced  here  from  Turkey  in  1952, 
through  seeds  received  and  distributed  by  Dr. 
F.  G.  Meyer  of  the  Missouri  Bot.  Gdn.,  St.  Louis. 


6 


The  Shrubby  Penstemons 

Jean  G.  Witt* 


A MONG  the  very  best  of  our  Northwest  na- 

^ tive  flowering  plants  for  the  rock  garden 
are  the  shrubby  Penstemons  belonging  to  the 
section  Dasanthera.  Their  large,- rose  to  blue- 
purple,  foxglove-like  flowers  brighten  coastal 
gardens  in  mid-May  and  draw  exclamations 
from  tourists  in  the  high  Cascades  and  nor- 
thern Rockies  into  late  summer.  They  are 
much  admired  for  their  attractive  evergreen 
foliage  throughout  the  year. 

The  shrubby  species  of  Penstemon  are 
widely  variable  and  natural  hybridization 
tends  to  occur  where  ranges  overlap — a situa- 
tion which  causes  confusion  for  the  taxonomist 
trying  to  classify  them,  but  favors  the  gar- 
dener who  is  more  interested  in  their  decora- 
tive value  than  in  exact  identification.  Abrams’ 
Flora  of  the  Pacific  States , Vol.  Ill,  (1951) 
recognizes  six  species  and  a number  of  sub- 
species out  of  the  many  that  have  been  de- 
scribed. A seventh  species,  ellipticus,  is  found 
in  the  Glacier  Park  region  of  Montana.  This 
section  also  includes  montanus,  of  similar 
appearance,  but  not  shrubby,  from  the  moun- 
tains of  Idaho  and  Montana.  If  the  gardener 
is  fortunate  in  his  purchased  plant  material, 
the  species  will  be  clear  cut  and  their  dif- 
ferences obvious.  When  he  goes  out  into  the 
mountains  to  collect  his  own  he  may  find  them 
less  distinct,  but  no  less  intriguing. 

P.  fruticosus  is  the  most  widespread  of 
these  Penstemons.  It  occurs  east  of  the  crest 
of  the  Cascades  in  Washington  and  Oregon, 
eastward  into  Montana  and  Wyoming,  north- 
ward into  Canada.  It  is  the  tallest  of  the 
species,  forming  dense  clumps  from  4"  to  15" 
tall  and  a foot  or  more  across.  The  shining 
green  leaves  are  long  and  narrowly  elliptical, 
with  few  to  many  teeth,  or  none.  Racemes 
of  bright  lavender-blue  flowers,  each  up  to 
1 y2"  long,  are  borne  well  above  the  foliage; 
in  good  forms  they  may  be  so  numerous  that 

*Mrs.  J.  A.  Witt,  wife  of  our  Assistant  Director, 
was  trained  in  systematic  botany.  She  is  a 
member  of  the  American  Penstemon  Society. 


the  plant  is  a mound  of  color.  This  is  an  ex- 
tremely variable  species,  both  in  size  and 
shape  of  the  plant,  and  in  the  amount  of 
toothing  of  the  leaves.  The  best  garden  varia- 
tion which  I have  at  present  belongs  to  sub- 
species Scouleri,  native  to  northeastern  Wash- 
ington, northern  Idaho,  and  British  Colum- 
bia. The  flowers  are  nearly  two  inches  long, 
and  the  leaves  turn  a rich  purplish  green  in 
the  winter.  Herbarium  sheets  suggest  that 
subspecies  serratus,  a low,  very  shrubby  form 
with  prominently  toothed  leaves  from  the  Blue 
Mountains,  Wallowas,  and  western  Idaho 
would  be  an  interesting  garden  subject;  how- 
ever, it  does  not  seem  to  be  in  cultivation  at 
present.  Fruticosus  from  the  Cascades  can 
be  found  in  many  attractive  leaf  types.  The 
flowers  are  less  variable  than  the  leaves;  but 
besides  the  usual  lavender,  clones  have  been 
described  with  white,  pink,  soft  blue,  and 
dark  blue  flowers.  A flesh-pink  form  named 
“Mrs.  Rutherford”  has  been  offered  for  sale; 
also  one  with  ivory  flowers  called  albus,  and 
a bluish  one  known  as  “Azure.” 

P.  Barrettae,  restricted  to  the  basalt  cliffs 
and  talus  of  the  Columbia  River  Gap  in  Wash- 
ington and  Oregon,  is  the  least-widespread 
of  the  species,  and  also  one  of  the  most  dis- 
tinctive. It  forms  wide  dense  clumps,  often 
several  feet  across,  with  large,  glaucous,  oval 
to  elliptic  toothed  leaves,  and  many  bloom 
stalks  of  lilac  or  rose  purple  flowers  up  to 
1 l/2f'  long.  One  clone  which  is  in  cultivation 
around  Seattle  has  flowers  more  orchid  than 
lavender,  and  leaves  only  slightly  glaucous 
with  a good  deal  of  red  color,  especially  in  the 
young  shoots.  Plants  which  we  found  growing 
on  basalt  cliffs  in  Klickitat  Co.,  Washington, 
were  all  heavily  glaucous  with  lavender  flowers 
on  the  bluish  side.  This  species  is  much  ad- 
mired for  the  grayish-green  effect  of  the  foli- 
age. Seedlings  are  reported  to  be  without  the 
characteristic  finish  at  first. 

P.  Cardwellii  is  found  west  of  the  crest  of 


7 


the  Cascades  from  Skamania  County,  Wash- 
ington, to  Josephine  and  Curry  Counties  in 
Oregon.  It  forms  wide  clumps  from  4"  to  12" 
high.  Herbarium  sheets  suggest  that  in  gen- 
eral the  herbage  is  much  less  erect  than  that 
of  fruticosus,  with  which  it  is  easily  confused, 
and  from  which  it  differs  chiefly  in  geo- 
graphical distribution.  The  form  which  I have 
in  my  garden  is  quite  distinct  from  fruticosus; 
the  leaves  are  rounded  at  the  tip,  and  the 
teeth  are  rounded.  Leaves  on  a single  shoot 
all  tend  to  lie  in  the  same  plane,  giving  them 
the  appearance  of  occurring  in  flattened 
rosettes.  The  bright  lilac-purple  flowers, 
though  much  the  same  color  as  those  of 
fruticosus,  are  borne  in  more  one-sided  ra- 
cemes; the  inflorescence  often  has  conspicu- 
ous bracts  and  may  be  glandular  pubescent. 

Below: 

Penstemon  rupicola  flowering  on  wall 
behind  greenhouses  early  June 
( Fig.  2 ) PHOTO  BY  E.  F.  MARTEN 


A white-flowered  form  is  also  in  cultivation. 

P.  Newberryi,  sometimes  called  Mountain 
Pride,  is  the  only  one  of  the  shrubby  Pen- 
stemons  which  seems  to  have  a real  common 
name.  It  occurs  in  California  in  the  high 
Sierras  from  Mt.  Shasta  to  Tulare  County  and 
in  adjacent  Nevada.  The  creeping,  woody 
stems  form  mats  6 to  12  inches  high.  The 
leathery  leaves  are  elliptic  to  ovate,  blunt, 
and  toothed.  The  flowers  are  about  1%. 
inches  long,  rather  narrow,  and  occur  in  vary- 
ing shades  from  rose-red  to  deep  crimson. 
This  is  the  reddest  of  the  shrubbies,  some- 
times even  having  red  stems  and  red-edged 
leaves.  It  is  also  the  longest  blooming,  con- 
tinuing until  frost  in  warm  localities.  Sub- 
species Berryi,  which  extends  into  Oregon, 
has  larger  flowers,  wider  and  more  open. 

P.  rupicola  is  found  on  both  slopes  of  the 
high  Cascades  from  central  Washington  to 
northernmost  California.  Northwesterners, 


delighted  by  its  gorgeous  mats  spilling  over 
the  cliffs  below  Chinook  Pass,  find  it  hard  to 
believe  that  Reginald  Farrer  once  described 
it  as  having  “baggy  bugles  of  a ferocious  ani- 
line red-mauve,”  for  surely  it  is  one  of  the 
most  beautiful  of  our  alpine  wild  flowers.  It 
grows  in  depressed  mats,  the  flowering  stems 
usually  less  than  4 inches  high,  the  racemes 
relatively  few-flowered,  but  often  so  numerous 
as  nearly  to  obscure  the  foliage  in  the  mass 
of  blooms.  The  small  leaves  are  elliptic  to 
orbicular,  usually  glaucous,  and  toothed.  The 
flowers  are  typically  a deep  rose  color,  but 
light  pink  and  white-flowered  forms  are  in 
cultivation.  The  white-flowered  form  is  par- 
ticularly attractive,  the  flowers  numerous  and 
sparkling-white,  and  the  foliage  a pleasing 
light  apple  green.  The  white-flowered  form  is 
a vigorous  grower;  the  pink  one  somewhat 
less  so  (fig.  2). 

P.  Menziesii  in  its  typical  form  occurs  in 
the  high  mountains  from  the  north  coast  of 
British  Columbia  south  through  the  Cascades 
and  coastal  ranges  to  Kittitas  and  Lewis  Coun- 
ties, Washington.  It  grows  in  extensive  creep- 
ing mats,  and  has  small  elliptic  to  orbicular 
toothed  green  leaves.  The  racemes  are  few 
flowered,  the  flowering  stems  less  than  4 
inches  high.  The  flowers  are  characteristically 
a rich  purple-violet,  but  may  vary  to  lavender, 
pink,  and  blue.  A white-flowered  form  is  now 
in  cultivation.  The  colorful  carpets  of  this 
species  which  formerly  decorated  Snoqualmie 
Pass  have  to  some  extent  disappeared  with 
the  widening  of  the  highway.  Subspecies 
Davidsonii  is  a variation  having  all  its  leaves 
entire  and  shaped  like  little  ping-pong  paddles, 
which  occurs  from  Mt.  Rainier  southward  to 
Tulare  County,  California.  Subspecies  Thomp- 
sons with  larger  and  coarser  mats  and  flower 
stems  up  to  6 inches  tall  occurs  east  of  the 
crest  of  the  Cascades  from  Okanogan  County 
to  Kittitas  County,  Washington,  and  ap- 
proaches fruticosus  in  appearance.  Menziesii 
forms  from  the  Olympics  sometimes  have 
tiny  leaves  T/s  inch  long  or  less.  One  of  these 
is  sold  under  the  trade  name  of  serpyllijolius, 
but  the  flowers  seem  too  large  for  the  tiny 


leaves.  This  form  apparently  does  not  come 
true  to  type  from  seed. 

P.  ellipticus,  from  the  Montana  Rockies 
and  adjacent  Canada  is  familiar  as  one  of  the 
plants  which  give  the  splashes  of  purple  color 
on  Logan  Pass  in  Glacier  National  Park.  It 
resembles  fruticosus  in  having  toothed  leaves 
and  purple  flowers,  but  herbarium  sheets  sug- 
gest that  the  plant  is  smaller  and  somewhat 
more  delicate  than  typical  fruticosus;  other 
variations  approach  Menziesii  in  appearance. 

In  addition  to  the  wild  species,  a number  of 
interspecific  hybrids  are  known,  some  of  which 
are  in  cultivation. 

Newberryi  x Davidsonii  hybrids  have  been 
described  from  the  Sierra  Nevada. 

Rupicola  hybrids  with  fruticosus  and  Men- 
ziesii are  known  from  the  central  Washington 
Cascades. 

Barrettae  x fruticosus  hybrids  have  been 
known  to  occur  in  gardens  where  the  two  spe- 
cies are  grown  together. 

X Edithae,  the  only  deliberately  planned 
hybrid,  was  raised  by  Mr.  Carl  S.  English, 
Jr.,  of  Seattle  to  combine  the  color  of  rupicola 
with  the  larger  plant  of  Barrettae.  It  forms 
large  clumps  of  somewhat  glaucous  bronzy 
foliage,  beautifully  red  in  the  spring,  and  bears 
masses  of  brilliant  magenta-purple  flowers. 

“Six  Hills  Hybrid,”  variously  given  as  rupi- 
cola x ? Newberryi  or  rupicola  x ? fruticosus, 
has  rosy-lilac  flowers  and  dark  green  leaves, 
bronzy  red  on  the  underside. 

The  shrubby  Penstemons  as  a group  are 
at  their  best  in  the  gardens  of  their  native 
Northwest.  They  are  also  reported  as  per- 
forming satisfactorily  in  the  Northeastern 
states.  In  other  parts  of  the  LTnited  States, 
however,  they  do  less  well,  to  downright  poorly 
in  the  Central  states  where  climate  and  soils 
do  not  seem  to  be  to  their  liking. 

Their  chief  requirement  seems  to  be  a well- 
drained,  sunny  location — not  surprising  when 
one  remembers  that  their  native  habitats  are 
so  often  cliffs  and  talus  slopes.  They  do  not 
grow  well  in  places  where  the  soil  can  become 
waterlogged.  They  require  no  special  care 

(Continued  on  Page  28) 


9 


Bog  Gardens 

Frances  Kinne  Roberson* 

“Where  the  Reeds  and  Rushes  Quiver ” 

— Jean  Ingelow 


|P>OG  GARDENING,  more  often  than  not, 
is  either  a necessity  or  an  accident  in  land- 
scaping. Sometimes  a home  owner  discovers 
that  some  part  of  his  ground  is  too  wet  or  too 
soggy  for  customary  gardening.  He  can  phil- 
osophize that  “nature  made  her  what  she  is” 
and  capitalize  on  that  fact  by  selecting  for 
it  those  plants  which  respond  well  with  wet 
feet.  Some  fortunate  people  have  streams 
meandering  through  their  property.  Brook- 
side  plantings  are  usually  made  up  of  mois- 
ture-loving plants.  Lake  margins  need  the 
same  kind  of  material.  Occasionally  an  arti- 
ficial pool,  which  has  outlived  its  usefulness 
or  has  become  a hazard  to  children,  is  trans- 
formed into  an  interesting  bog.  Out  of  all 
these  situations,  and  others,  there  emerges  an 
occasional  artistic  and  well-planned  bog  gar- 
den. It  is  our  purpose  here  to  suggest  plants 
and  ideas  which,  when  used,  would  produce 
pleasing  results  in  still  more  cases. 

Stream  banks  most  often  lend  themselves 
to  perennial  plantings.  Low  ground  covers 
make  a good  foreground  for  taller  perennials 
or  shrubs.  Ajuga  reptans  rubra,  with  its  bronze 
leaves  and  purple  flowers,  Ajuga  genevensis 
with  greener  leaves  and  blue  flowers,  and  the 
variegated  form  of  Bugle  all  prove  as  adapt- 
able to  wet  situations  as  they  do  to  many 
other  problem  spots.  The  butter-yellow  flowers 
of  Moneywort  — Lysimachia  nummularia  — 
and  its  mats  of  light  green  foliage  make  a 
good  carpet.  Nierembergia  rivularis  also  has 
showy  flowers,  but  of  white,  and  the  leaves  are 
blue-green.  The  latter  is  commonly  called 
Queencups. 

Plants  of  medium  height  or  between  me- 
dium and  low  would  include  Ladyslippers. 
Best  known  are  Cypripedium  reginae  ( spec- 
tabile ) with  white  sepals  and  rose-pink  pouch 

*Mrs.  (L.  N.)  Roberson  of  the  Editorial  Board 
has  most  certainly  first-hand  knowledge  of  her 
subject  since  she  grows  many  of  these  plants  in 
her  own  Seattle  nursery. 


of  large  size;  acaule,  whose  solitary  flower  has 
a deeper  rose  or  rose-purple  flower,  and  mon- 
tanum,  with  brownish  flowers  with  white  sacs. 
This  group  would  also  include  Marsh  Mari- 
gold, either  the  western  white  one — Caltha 
leptosepala — or  the  eastern  yellow  one — Cal- 
tha palustris;  Water  Forget-me-not — Myoso- 
tis  palustris;  Corydalis  lutea  with  its  spurred 
flowers  of  yellow;  Mimulus  Lewisii  with 
bright  rose  flowers,  or  Mimulus  moschatus  or 
M.  Suksdorfii  having  yellow  blossoms;  feath- 
ery-flowered Astilbe  chinensis  in  white,  pink, 
rose  or  red;  Columbine,  in  any  of  the  long- 
spurred  varieties,  whose  teetering  flowers  look 
like  multi-colored  birds  on  slender  twigs; 
Blue-eyed  Grass,  either  Sisyrinchium  angusti- 
jolium  or  S.  bellum ; and  Globe  Flower  or 
Trollius  in  many  varieties. 

Best  known,  as  we  progress  to  taller  plants, 
probably  is  Iris  pseudacorus  with  its  flat  yel- 
low flowers.  Another  water  iris  is  /.  versicolor, 
but  some  others  which  like  moisture  part  of 
the  year  behave  poorly  when  the  root-drench- 
ing is  year  round.  Chrysanthemum  lacustre 
is  a good  white  daisy  from  Portugal  for  our 
list.  Chelone  glabra,  with  white  flowers  tinged 
rose,  and  Chelone  obliqua  with  deep  rose 
flowers  represent  the  Turtleheads.  The  Day- 
lilies  ( Hemerocallis ) have  the  advantage  of 
being  able  to  compete  successfully  for  a place 
in  the  sun.  The  large  flowers  are  a fine  con- 
tribution. Plantain  lily  (Hosta  or  Funkia) 
makes  a good  plant  for  the  shady  bog. 

No  finer  association  of  moisture-loving 
plants  can  be  found  than  that  which  carpets 
mountain  stream  banks  in  the  Northwestern 
United  States,  in  the  plant  zone  known  as 
Canadian.  The  deep  green,  much-cut  leaves 
of  Coptis  laciniata,  or  Goldthread,  appear 
more  fern-like  than  the  flatly  pressed  fronds 
of  Struthiopteris  spicant,  or  Deerfern,  among 
whose  fine  black  roots  the  coarser  yellow  ones 
of  the  Coptis  thread  their  way.  There  may 


10 


appear  the  heavily-veined  whorls  of  leaves 
which  top  the  6-  to  8-inch  high  stems  of  Cor- 
nus  canadensis  (Bunchberry),  and  emphasize 
the  beauty  of  the  miniature  Dogwood  blos- 
soms and,  later,  the  bright  red  berries.  Clin- 
tonia  uniflora  with  its  flat  strap-like  basal 
leaves  frequently  invades  such  crowded  areas, 
although  a more  typical  setting  for  it  is  in 
dense  enough  shade  that  the  forest  floor  is 
covered  with  decayed  vegetation  only  sparsely 
set  with  small  plants.  Fortunate  is  he  who 
finds  intact  the  deep  blue  berry  which  follows 
the  single  pure  white  flower  of  this  Clint onia. 

All  of  these  plants  adapt  themselves  to  a 
cultivated  bog  of  slight  to  medium  moisture 
content.  So,  too,  do  trilliums  and  various 
members  of  the  Saxifrage  family  such  as  Par- 
nassia  intermedia  (Grass  of  Parnassus),  Mi- 
tella  trifida  (Mitrewort),  Tolmiea  Menziesii 
(Piggy-back  plant  or  Youth-on-Age),  and 
Tellima  grandi  flora  (Fringe-cup). 

Another  typical  association  of  bog-loving 
plants  in  the  Puget  Sound  area  is  repeated 
thousands  of  times.  Trees  of  considerable 
size — such  as  red  alder,  western  hemlock  and 
broad-leaved  maple — may  tower  over  a thicket 
of  the  forbidding  Devil’s  Club  ( Oplopanax 
horridum),  Vine  Maple  (Acer  circinatum), 
Salmonberry  ( Rubus  spectabilis) , and  red- 
berried  Elder  (Sambucus  callicarpa) . The 
ground  area  under  these  large  plants  is  usually 
carpeted  with  Vanilla  Leaf  (Achlys  triphylla ), 
Oak  Fern,  Maidenhair  Fern,  and/or  such 
members  of  Saxifragaceae  as  have  been  men- 
tioned. 

The  restful  effect  of  a planting  patterned 
after  this  face  of  nature  lulls  us  to  calm  satis- 
faction with  an  ever  more  crowded  but  self- 
sufficient  bog  based  primarily  on  a display 
of  greens  and  browns.  A good  antidote  for  a 
surfeit  of  green  is  contained  in  seed  packets 
of  bright-hued  annuals  and  perennials.  These 
may  be  started  in  pots  or  flats  and  re-set  when 
large  enough  to  transplant.  In  some  cases  it 
is  wiser  to  purchase  plants  if  faster  effect  is 
desired. 

The  Primrose  family  can  contribute  greatly 
when  color  is  in  demand.  Primulas  from  far 


places,  planted  in  drifts,  supply  multi-hued 
clouds  of  bloom  over  a long  period  of  time. 
Early  in  spring  the  tight  balls  of  Primula 
cashmeriana  introduce  various  shades  of  lilac 
or  violet.  Rare  but  worth  hunting  are  the 
white  and  crimson  flowered  forms.  The  height 
varies  with  conditions  but  is  usually  between 
12  and  20  inches. 

A much  taller  flower  stem  occurs  in  some 
of  the  later  season  Primulas,  such  as  P.  sik- 
kimensis  from  the  Himalayan  state  its  name 
commemorates.  Primula  helodoxa  and  P. 
Florindae  are  other  tall-stemmed  ones  which 
are  usually  yellow. 

Primula  pulverulenta,  a candelabra  type 
from  Szechwan,  western  China,  has  won  con- 
siderable favor  by  reason  of  the  great  variety 
of  color  forms  such  as  in  the  Bartley  Strain. 
Some  breath-taking  hybrids  claim  P.  pulveru- 
lenta for  one  parent. 

The  characteristic  purplish  red  flowers  of 
another  candelabra,  Primula  japonica,  present 
a problem  when  combining  colors.  Some  of 
the  white  or  rose-colored  forms  blend  more 
readily.  It  is  mid-season  (May  or  June)  and 
medium  in  height. 

The  enthusiast  will  find  many  other  species 
of  Primula  suitable  for  wet  ground  if  he 
searches  through  seed  lists.  They  grow  readily 
from  seed  and  so  may  be  used  lavishly  with 
little  expense.  Most  of  those  mentioned  here 
will  self-seed  and  thus  perpetuate  themselves. 

The  Primrose  family  offers  other  interesting 
plants  than  the  actual  primroses.  One  which 
is  excellent  for  naturalizing  in  bogs  must  be 
included  here.  The  pointed  bills  of  Shooting 
Stars  or  Birdbills,  by  whatever  name  one  calls 
them,  thrill  the  early  spring  observer  who 
looks  for  daintiness  in  individual  flowers. 
Showiness  is  achieved  by  planting  in  colonies. 
Species  which  grow  in  wet  ground  include  the 
lovely  white-flowered  Dodecatheon  dentatum, 
as  well  as  the  stout  rose-colored  Dodecatheon 
Jeffreyi.  Both  are  northwest  natives. 

A pseudo-tropical  atmosphere  can  be 
created  in  the  bog  garden  with  large-leaved 
plants  such  as  Rheum  palmatum,  not  a culi- 

( Continued  on  Page  36) 


11 


Newer  Hybrid  Lilies 

C.  L.  Shride* 


¥ IKE  most  things  new,  these  are  based  on 
experiments  made  many  years  ago.  An  ob- 
servant breeder,  whether  animals  or  plants  are 
involved,  soon  learns  that  certain  crosses  give 
better  results  than  others  do.  How  many  of 
you  remember  the  rose  Ophelia?  By  seedlings 
and  mutations  it  influenced  garden  and  green- 
house roses  for  many  years. 

There  are  several  strains  of  hybrid  lilies 
now  available  and  I shall  consider  these 
strains  briefly  with  some  mention  of  the  peo- 
ple who  have  made  them  possible. 

Some  early  hybrids  which  might  be  con- 
sidered the  foundation  of  this  work  are  L. 
“Parkmanii,”  by  the  great  American  historian, 
Francis  Parkman,  who,  in  1869,  produced  a 
plant  from  L.  speciosum  rubrum  seed  pol- 
linated by  L.  auratum.  A few  years  later  Mr. 
C.  M.  Hovey,  a Boston  nurseryman,  made  the 
reciprocal  cross  which  produced  a similar  plant 
with  a larger  flower,  but  like  “Parkmanii”  it 
was  soon  lost. 

In  1900  the  Royal  Botanic  Gardens,  Kew, 
produced  a hybrid  lily  of  L.  leucanthum 
chlor aster  x L.  Henryi  parentage  which  re- 
sembled L.  auratum.  It  was  soon  lost  but  its 
record  led  Monsieur  E.  Debras  of  Orleans, 
France,  to  try  to  reconstruct  it.  After  several 
fruitless  efforts  he  obtained  two  viable  seeds 
in  1925,  from  using  L.  Henryi  pollen  on  L. 
Sargentiae.  One  seedling  lived  and  bloomed  in 
1928.  It  was  named  “Aurelianense” — from  the 
old  name  (5th  century  A.  D.)  of  its  birthplace. 
The  original  stock  became  infected  with  virus 
disease  and  was  destroyed,  but  not  until  after 
seedlings  were  raised  both  from  self-pollina- 
tion and  back-crossing  with  both  parents.  For 
this  reason  the  name  “Aurelianense”  (or  Au- 
relian)  now  covers  many  divergent  forms. 

In  1933  Tom  Barry  of  Lambertsville,  New 
Jersey,  crossed  L.  sulphureum  and  L.  Henryi 
and  raised  a plant  similar  to  “Aurelianense”; 

*Mr.  Shride  of  Seattle  has  for  years  been  suc- 
cessfully growing  and  breeding  many  of  the 
American  lily  species. 


perhaps  its  flowers  are  darker  in  color  and 
have  more  substance.  This  hybrid  was  named 
“T.  A.  Havemeyer.”  Being  in  short  supply, 
some  seedlings  were  soon  marketed  under  the 
name.  These  have  also  been  crossed  and  re- 
crossed with  the  parents,  sometimes  injecting 
similar  species  into  the  complex.  Some  nursery- 
men refer  to  these  as  the  “Barryi”  group. 

These  two  strains  attracted  much  attention 
and  many  keen  plantsmen  were  soon  using 
them  in  ambitious  breeding  programs.  They 
have  been  so  mingled  that  the  origin  of  a few 
named  clones  today  can  be  traced  with  cer- 
tainty. The  plants  are  hardy  and  thrifty 
growers.  Some,  like  L.  Henryi , do  not  hold 
their  heads  on  upright  stems  but  they  could 
have  worse  faults. 

The  flowers  vary  from  tidy,  close  trumpets 
to  large,  loosely  formed  ones,  in  colors  from 
cream  through  lemon,  green-gold,  yellow, 
orange  and  apricot,  with  so-called  pinks. 
Others  are  bowl-shaped,  some  reflexed  with 
large  broadly  recurved  petals,  and  others  of 
intermediate  gradations.  These  are  late  July 
and  August  bloomers,  when  they  fill  a very 
noticeable  gap  in  the  lily  parade.  Carlton 
Yerex  of  Newberg,  Oregon,  one  of  the  pioneer 
lily  growers  of  the  Northwest,  was  an  early 
importer  of  “Aurelianense”  and  now  devotes 
practically  his  entire  farm  to  their  production. 
Recently  named  clones  are  “Eventide’’  and 
“Bright  Cloud.”  Selected  strains  on  the  mar- 
ket are  trumpets,  flares  and  “Corona  Aurelia- 
nense”  in  separate  colors. 

Edgar  L.  Kline  of  Lake  Grove,  Oregon,  has 
worked  along  similar  lines  and  his  Golden 
Harvest  hybrids  are  cream,  lemon,  buff  and 
apricot  in  color.  He  will  soon  introduce  a new 
clone  named  “Tom  Barry,”  a widely- 
expanded,  rich  yellow  flower  on  strong  five- 
foot  stems. 

The  Oregon  Bulb  Farms  of  Gresham,  Ore- 
gon, named  three  separate  strains  of  Aurelians, 
in  addition  to  many  other  lilies.  Their  “Golden 


12 


Clarion''  is  one  of  the  best  yellow  trumpet 
strains.  “Sunburst”  is  the  name  applied  to 
those  flowers  more  resembling  L.  Henryi,  al- 
though they  are  larger  and  less  reflexed. 
“Heart's  Desire’’  names  those  intermediate  in 
form  and,  like  “Sunburst,”  having  a rather 
wide  range  of  color.  “Pink  Ice”  is  a more  re- 
cent introduction  which  will  surely  join  the 
others  in  popularity  when  better  known.  These 
are  all  vigorous  growers  and  make  excellent 
garden  subjects  (fig.  3). 

The  Oregon  Bulb  Farms  are  the  largest 
lily  growers  in  the  world.  Under  the  very  able 
direction  of  Jan  de  Graaff,  there  is  a continu- 
ous hybridizing  program  with  new  lilies  intro- 
duced to  the  trade  each  year.  There  is  not 
enough  space  here  to  discuss  all  of  the  hybrid 
lilies  originated  there  in  the  last  few  years, 
but  some  must  be  mentioned.  Those  of  you 
who  saw  the  show  of  the  North  American  Lily 
Society  in  1954  will  recall  the  spectacular 
“Empress  of  India,”  which  was  judged  best 
lily  in  the  show.  A sister  seedling,  “Empress 
of  China,”  has  been  awarded  similar  honors 
since.  These  are  of  L.  auratum  x L.  speciosum 
parentage,  the  “Parkmanii”  strain  mentioned 
above.  They  are  not  for  sale  now,  as  several 
years  are  required  to  work  up  a commercial 
stock  from  a single  bulb. 

The  Mid-Century  hybrids  are  popular  gar- 
den subjects.  Their  L.  tigrinum  - dauricum  - 
concolor  parentage  insures  hardiness  and  vigor 
wherever  grown.  Several  clones  were  selected 
from  this  strain  of  which  “Enchantment”  is 
the  best  known.  It  has  upright  flowers  of 
vivid  nasturtium-red.  “Fireflame,”  with  out- 
ward facing  mahogany-red  blooms,  and  “Val- 
encia” with  rich  yellow  blooms  are  other  good 
clones  of  this  strain.  “Destiny,”  “Felicity” 
and  “Prosperity”  are  later  selections. 

For  the  Fiesta  strain  Mr.  de  Graaff  used  L. 
Davidii,  and  characteristic  plants  are  more 
colorful  with  reflexed  blooms  on  four-  to  six- 
foot  stems.  A very  dark  red,  the  best  of  this 
strain  was  named  “Dr.  Abel.” 

Mr.  de  Graaff  used  several  hardy  trumpet 
lilies  to  make  his  Olympic  Hybrid  strain, 
which  has  largely  replaced  L.  regale.  (Several 


similar  strains  are  on  the  market,  as  most  lily 
growers  have  tried  crossing  L.  regale,  L.  Sar- 
gentiae  and  L.  leucanthum.)  His  latest-named 
strain  is  “Black  Dragon.”  This  was  awarded 
best  in  show  at  the  International  Lily  Show  at 
Ithaca,  N.  Y.,  last  July.  The  individual 
flowers  are  large,  wide-open  trumpets,  white 
inside  with  very  dark  backs.  It  will  be  on 
the  market  next  year  at  a moderate  price. 

I have  mentioned  the  showy  “Parkmanii” 
strain,  but  I know  of  only  two  that  can  be 
purchased.  “Jillian  Wallace,”  a clone  from 
Australia,  may  be  described  as  a flat-flowered 
red  auratum.  Potomac  Hybrids  (selected 
strain)  are  from  the  U.  S.  Dept,  of  Agricul- 
ture, and  more  resemble  a giant  L.  speciosum 
rubrum.  They  are  flat  across  the  center  with 
petals  slightly  recurved.  Both  of  these  are 
better  doers  than  L.  auratum . 

Several  Australian  and  New  Zealand  grow- 
ers are  working  on  this  cross  and  have  some 
selected  strains  and  clones  that  will  soon  find 
their  way  to  American  gardens. 

In  addition  to  the  Potomac  hybrids  men- 
tioned above,  the  U.  S.  Dept,  of  Agriculture, 


Below: 


Sunburst  Lilies 

(Fig.  3)  PHOTO  BY  HERMAN  V.  WALL 


Ornamentals  Division,  has  produced  many 
others  of  this  strain.  The  use  of  different 
forms  of  L.  auratum  with  the  pink  and  white 
varieties  of  L.  speciosum  has  resulted  in  a 
wide  variety  of  forms  and  colors.  From  almost 
red  to  almost  white  they  are  beautifully 
marked  and  colored.  Flowers  are  neither  as 
bowl-shaped  as  L.  auratum,  nor  recurved  as 
much  as  L.  speciosum. 

A few  of  these  have  been  sent  to  growers 
for  testing.  Others  will  no  doubt  be  released 
in  the  near  future,  and  when  these  are  made 
available  to  you  they  will  influence  American 
lily  culture  more  than  the  Bellingham  hybrids 
did  twenty-five  years  ago. 

Leslie  Woodruff,  of  Harbor,  Oregon,  has 
worked  with  this  cross,  and  at  the  1957  show 
of  the  North  American  Lily  Society  had  on 
display  the  darkest-colored  of  the  near  speci- 
osum forms  that  I have  seen.  He  named  it 
“Black  Beauty.” 

One  may  reasonably  infer  that  the  intention 
of  the  hybridizer  is  to  produce  new  and  better 
forms  and  colors  of  flowers.  No  less  considera- 
tion should  be  given  to  garden  performance. 
The  parentage  of  a hybrid  will  usually  indi- 
cate its  response  to  climatic  conditions.  Our 
Canadian  friends  have  rightly  used  the  most 
hardy  species  for  their  crosses — lilies  from 
Siberia  and  from  the  mountains  of  Europe — 
while  we  of  the  Puget  Sound  region  revel  in  a 
much  wider  selection. 

This  is  one  of  the  most  favored  regions  of 
the  world  for  lilies  and  most  of  the  species 
and  varieties  in  cultivation  thrive  here.  It  is 
noticeable  that,  regardless  of  the  parent  stock 
used,  many  of  the  hybrid  offspring  are  hardier 
and  of  easier  culture  than  their  parent  species. 
The  little  success  that  I have  had  in  hybridiz- 
ing lilies  has  been  mostly  with  Californian 
species.  Being  chiefly  native  to  the  mountains 
there,  they  are  reasonably  hardy.  However, 
failure  is  often  reported  with  the  Californian 
lilies  east  of  the  Rocky  Mountains.  Two  clones 
which  I originated,  of  L.  Humboldtii  - parda- 
linum  - Parryi  parentage,  have  grown  satis- 
factorily where  the  three  parent  species  failed. 

Ease  of  propagation  is  another  factor  that 


must  guide  a nurseryman’s  selection.  To  be 
given  a clonal  name,  a hybrid  plant  must  be 
propagated  vegetatively  only.  If  a new  lily 
does  not  increase  easily,  it  remains  high  priced 
and  will  not  merit  popularity.  Fortunately, 
hybrid  vigor  influences  this  and  most  of  our 
hybrids  increase  easily  from  scales.  The  Poto- 
mac hybrids  will  yield  two  to  four  bulblets 
per  scale  incubated,  and  L.  testaceum  and 
“F.  E.  Brown”  do  almost  as  well.  Others  in- 
cluding “Redbird”  (Palmer)  and  de  Graaff’s 
“Talisman”  and  “Enchantment”  form  bulbils 
at  the  leaf  axils.  These  may  be  removed  in 
late  summer  and  planted  like  peas  to  increase 
your  stock  of  lilies. 

Several  Canadian  hybridizers  should  be  men- 
tioned here.  Miss  Isabella  Preston,  in  1929, 
crossed  L.  Davidii  var.  Willmottiae,  a vigorous 
plant  with  many  reflexed  red  flowers,  and  a 
seedling  of  L.  dauricum,  which  bears  upward- 
facing  flowers.  From  the  progeny  she  selected 
seven  plants  which  became  known  as  the 
Stenographer  lilies.  My  choice  of  the  clones 
of  this  group  are  “Edna  Kean,”  “Grace  Mar- 
shall,” and  “Lillian  Cummings,”  but  there  is 
no  startling  difference.  Based  on  this  group, 
Miss  Preston  developed  some  good  yellow- 
flowered  hybrids.  “Coronation”  was  succeeded 
by  the  better  “Sovereign.”  The  fighter  group 
includes  “Corsair”  and  “Hurricane,”  both  low- 
growing  plants  with  a candelabrum  of  rich 
red,  upward-facing  blooms. 

Other  Canadians  have  used  these  hardy  and 
vigorous  hybrids  in  their  work.  Dr.  E.  F. 
Palmer  added  L.  tigrinum  to  get  a gorgeous 
group  of  later-blooming  reds.  “Redbird”  is  a 
larger  and  improved  tiger  lily.  “Cherokee” 
and  “Valiant”  are  lower  growing  with  upward 
tilting  flowers.  “King  William,”  a recent 
origination,  was  derived  by  Dr.  Palmer  from 
L.  croceum,  hollandicum  “Mahogany,”  L.  ti- 
grinum, “Coronation”  and  “Brenda  Watts.” 
Mature  plants  bear  up  to  forty  blooms  with 
many  secondary  and  a few  tertiary  buds  mak- 
ing it  a thing  of  beauty  for  a month.  “Moon- 
beam” and  “Sundance”  are  recent  Aurelian 
hybrids  from  the  Palmer  gardens. 

(Continued  on  Page  34) 


14 


American  Primulas 

Grace  T.  Dowling* 


lTjLANT  explorers  in  America  have  been 
busily  at  work  for  many  years  and  in  their 
stride  primulas  have  been  discovered,  gener- 
ally, as  in  most  other  countries,  high  in  moun- 
tain meadows  or  under  overhanging  cliffs.  Not 
a great  deal  of  effort  has  been  made  to  clas- 
sify this  particular  group  and  the  different 
names  given  to  the  same  plants  have  com- 
plicated the  correct  identifications  in  many 
cases. 

The  following  list  has  been  gathered  from 
floras,  magazine  articles  and  reports  from  col- 
lectors. It  is  offered  with  no  assurance  that 
it  is  a complete  or  accurate  account,  but  only 
with  the  hope  that  American  primulas  may 
tempt  some  appetites  jaded  with  struggles 
growing  European  and  Asiatic  ones. 

Many  on  this  list  I have  seen  growing, 
others  I have  found  as  specimens  in  herbari- 
ums and  a few  are  only  names  that  are  inter- 
esting to  hear  about.  In  time  there  will,  with- 
out doubt,  be  many  more  gardens  featuring 
American  primulas  and,  considering  the  time 
it  has  taken  English  gardeners  to  establish 
some  European  varieties  with  only  compara- 
tive success,  there  is  no  reason  why  we  cannot 
equal  these  accomplishments. 

Farinosa  Section 

PRIMULA  FARINOSA.  All  over  the 
world,  wherever  there  are  spots  favorable  to 
the  growth  of  P.  farinosa,  this  little  primula, 
in  some  unaccountable  way,  has  found  a home 
and  grown  contentedly.  Apparently  it  prefers 
picking  its  own  location  and,  more  than  most 
primulas,  has  difficulty  settling  in  a garden 
spot  deliberately  made  for  it.  The  various 
forms  of  the  American  P.  farinosa  may  not  be 
identical  with  those  which  grow  in  other  coun- 
tries. The  color  may  vary  or  the  leaves  may 
be  a trifle  longer  or  shorter,  but  the  family 
characteristics  are  so  evident  it  is  not  difficult 
to  recognize.  It  has  been  found  in  Greenland, 

* Another  of  Mrs.  (J.  Thomas)  Dowling’s  in- 
teresting articles  on  Primroses.  (Candelabra 
Primroses,  I and  II — Summer  and  Fall— 1951). 


then  in  Maine  and  around  Quebec.  Gradually 
wandering  across  the  country,  it  grows  in  high, 
wet,  grassy  meadows  in  Michigan,  Minnesota 
and  western  Canada. 

Most  of  the  forms  of  P.  farinosa  are  more 
or  less  covered  with  white  meal,  at  least  when 
young,  and  this  fact  alone  makes  it  difficult 
to  differentiate  its  sub-species;  one,  called  P. 
mistassinica,  is  the  Canadian  P.  farinosa,  dif- 
fering from  the  type  in  that  the  leaves  are 
larger,  the  flowers  are  paler  and  it  lacks  the 
meal  of  P.  farinosa.  It  is  much  easier  to  tame 
and  stays  a longer  time  in  the  garden. 

PRIMULA  INCAN  A.  A little  primula,  so 
much  like  the  type  that  it  has  been  called 
P.  farinosa  var.  incana.  Another  synonym, 
according  to  Mr.  Williams  (an  early  plant 
explorer)  is  P.  americana;  it  is  found  in  Utah, 
and  farther  north  in  Alberta  along  the  Mac- 
kenzie River,  then  drifting  down  through  the 
Rocky  Mountains  in  Montana,  Wyoming  and 
Colorado.  The  rosette  is  a tiny  thing  formed 
of  leaves  one  to  three  inches  long.  The  under- 
sides of  the  leaves  are  mealy  and  the  edges  are 
notched  above  the  middle  of  the  leaf.  The 
blossoms  are  pale  lilac,  on  farina-coated  stems 
four  to  eight  inches  tall.  It  grows  in  the  garden 
more  easily  than  P.  farinosa. 

PRIMULA  EGALIKSENSIS.  Not  unlike 
P.  sibirica  and  so  nearly  resembling  P.  farinosa 
that  it  is  often  called  the  Greenland  farinosa, 
P.  egaliksensis  seems  almost  like  an  old  friend 
that  is  met  in  Northern  Labrador.  Without  a 
doubt,  it  is  one  of  the  various  forms  of  the 
“Bird’s  e’en”  that  grows  in  the  north  of  Eng- 
land. It  is  smaller  than  the  type  form,  being 
almost  a dwarf  with  smooth,  pale-green  leaves 
without  meal,  from  one-half  to  one  inch  long 
with  white  blossoms  growing  in  an  umbel  on 
a stem  from  two  to  five  inches  tall.  It  likes 
limestone  chippings  in  a rich,  rather  heavy 
loam  in  a sunny  situation. 

PRIMULA  BOREALIS.  From  the  Cana- 
dian Rockies,  as  well  as  from  Siberia,  comes 


15 


this  little  gem  of  the  Farinosa  section.  The 
plant  is  a minute  tuft  of  leaves,  smooth  and 
about  one-half  inch  long,  with  toothed  edges, 
and  a surprisingly  long  flower  stem,  three 
times  as  long  and  more  as  the  length  of  the 
leaves.  The  specimen  in  the  herbarium,  with 
its  sweet,  faded  petals  (originally  probably 
rose  or  lilac)  was  charming  and  I longed  to 
be  able  to  bring  some  plants  into  a garden. 

PRIMULA  SPECUICOLA,  probably  a sub- 
species of  P.  farinosa,  also  grows  in  Utah, 
along  the  San  Juan  River  on  hillsides  and 
bluffs  under  overhanging  limestone  cliffs.  The 
tuft  of  thin  leaves,  from  which  springs  the 
flower  stem,  shows  signs  of  farina  while  the 
leaves  are  yet  young,  but  as  they  grow  older 
the  meal  disappears.  The  flower  stem  is  scarce- 
ly one  inch  tall  but  it  is  topped  by  an  umbel 
of  from  ten  to  twenty  dark-violet  blossoms 
with  yellow  tubes,  blossoming  from  February 
to  August. 

PRIMULA  LAURENT  I AN  A was  sent  to 
Dr.  Fernald,  keeper  of  the  Gray  Flerbarium  at 
Harvard  University.  It  came  from  the  Lauren- 
tian  Hills  in  the  vicinity  of  the  St.  Lawrence 
River.  As  far  as  I can  learn  it  follows  the 
general  pattern  that  P.  farinosa  has  estab- 
lished. 

PRIMULA  SIBIRICA.  With  amazing  fore- 
sight plant  explorers  have  brought  primulas 
into  cultivation  where,  with  good  food  and 
care,  they  have  become  affluent  and  outstand- 
ing. While  P.  sibirica  itself  has  never  become 
a plant  that  has  caused  much  excitement,  some 
of  its  close  relations  have  developed  latent 
fashions  and  temperaments  not  guessed  by  the 
original  collector.  Mr.  Lohbrunner,  a traveler 
and  plant  collector  who  lives  in  Victoria,  B.  C., 
found  growing  in  a small  river  in  the  Yukon 
Territory  a little  primula  with  its  feet  com- 
pletely covered  with  water.  He  was  not  par- 
ticularly impressed  with  its  beauty,  but  in 
spite  of  that  he  brought  it  home.  It  developed, 
with  solicitude  and  careful  nourishment,  into 
what  he  called  P.  A.  Y.  Ex.  No.  104,  a fragrant 
counterpart  of  P.  involucrata,  deep,  clear  pink 
with  a yellow  eye.  Not  a true  P.  sibirica,  but 
one  of  a group,  P.  chrysopa,  P.  tibetica,  P.  in- 


volucrata and  P.  borealis,  so  difficult  for  the 
amateur  to  separate  under  their  respective 
names.  The  true  P.  sibirica,  as  its  name  sig- 
nifies, is  found  in  Siberia,  but  is  also  reported 
from  the  Northwest  Territories  where  it  was 
found  by  a Canadian-Arctic  expedition.  It 
has  flowers  that  vary  somewhat.  Some  are 
pale  pink,  without  much  substance  and  with 
little  soul.  It  is  only  included  in  this  meager 
list  of  primulas  to  show  the  differences  in  a 
generally  fine  section. 

Nivalis  Section 

PRIMULA  PARRY I.  If  P.  Parryi  could 
have  arranged  to  belong  to  another  and  easier 
section  than  Nivalis,  without  doubt  it  would 
have  run  a close  race  for  the  position  that  P. 
japonica  now  holds  in  our  gardens.  One  of 
the  largest  and  handsomest,  if  not  the  best  of 
all  the  American  primulas,  P.  Parryi  com- 
pares in  size  with  the  Asiatic  Candelabra 
group  and  reminds  one  of  a giant  plant  of 
shooting  star  ( Dodecatheon) , another  genus 
of  the  Primulaceae  family.  It  has  a reputation 
of  “rank-smelling”  but  this  has  been  denied, 
and  on  the  other  hand  the  root  is  said  to  be 
fragrant.  Mrs.  Kathleen  Marriage  of  Colorado 
Springs,  Colorado,  wrote  of  seeing  a row  of 
them  in  blossom,  growing  on  a moss-covered, 
half-rotten  log  imbedded  in  a shallow  stream. 
This  may  be  a suggestion  for  a similar  posi- 
tion in  a garden.  P.  Parryi  grows  from  Mon- 
tana to  New  Mexico,  from  Nevada  to  Arizona, 
always  high  in  the  mountains,  eight  thousand 
to  thirteen  thousand  feet,  along  banks  of  rocky 
streams  running  through  alpine  meadows.  The 
flowers  grow  in  a one-sided  umbel  of  “rosy- 
purple”  flowers,  sometimes  on  eighteen-inch 
stems.  It  is  the  most  common  of  any  of  the 
species  in  the  Rocky  Mountains  and,  while  it 
is  capricious  and  not  easily  tamed,  it  has  been 
grown,  quite  successfully,  by  many  primula 
growers.  P.  Parryi  prefers  a rich  loam,  rather 
heavy  in  texture,  in  half  shade,  plenty  of  mois- 
ture in  the  growing  season  and  a dry  crown 
during  the  winter  months.  According  to  some 
writers,  P.  mucronata  and  P.  m.  var  arizonica 
are  synonyms  of  P.  Parryi. 

PRIMULA  ANGUSTIFOLIA.  The  narrow 


16 


leaves  that  its  name  describes  give  this  prim- 
rose a dainty,  rather  frail  look  that  belies  its 
constitution.  In  the  mountains  it  is  a husky 
plant  but  more  or  less  delicate  when  grown 
in  a garden.  P.  angustifolia  is  very  small  with 
leaves  which  grow  in  a tuft  only  one-half  to 
one  inch  long,  and  the  flower, .with  scarcely 
any  stem,  is  tucked  among  the  foliage.  The 
whole  plant,  without  a grain  of  meal,  is  dainty 
and  appealing.  Generally,  there  is  only  one 
large  blossom  of  a dark  lilac  shade,  sometimes 
two,  but  when  there  are  two,  neither  is  as 
large  as  the  flower  on  the  plant  that  carries 
only  one.  It  grows  on  many  mountains  in 
Colorado;  Pike’s  Peak,  Long’s  Peak  and  on 
the  Spanish  Peaks,  and  then  south  to  the 
alpine  meadows  in  New  Mexico.  It  has  been 
grown  in  some  gardens  in  fibrous  loam  with 
limestone  chips,  in  moist  half-shade  with  a 
glass  over  it  in  the  winter.  There  has  been 
found  a variety  called  P.  a.  Helenae,  which  is 
purple,  or  in  some  sections  a white  one  has 
been  found. 

P.  CUSICKIAN A.  This  primula,  which 
grows  in  the  Wallowa  Mountains,  Oregon,  on 
high  alpine,  rocky  hillsides,  is  generally  found 
before  the  snow  disappears  entirely;  a tiny, 
three-to-six-inch  flower  stem  over  a smooth 
rosette  of  non-mealy  slender  leaves.  After  the 
snow  is  gone  P.  Cusickiana  has  also  disap- 
peared entirely,  not  to  be  seen  until  the  next 
spring.  The  flower  umbel  consists  of  from  two 
to  four  violet  flowers  and  very  rarely  a white 
one  is  found.  It  has  been  cultivated  success- 
fully in  some  gardens  in  a half-shady  place 
where  it  has  good  loam  with  plenty  of  leaf 
mold.  It  is  very  nearly  related  to  P.  angusti- 
folia, which  it  closely  resembles;  in  fact  it  has 
been  called  P.  angustifolia  var.  Cusickiana. 
Some  authorities  place  P.  Broadheadae  and 
P.  Broadheadae  var.  minor  in  the  list  of 
synonyms  given  under  P.  Cusickiana.  P. 
Broadheadae  grows  in  Utah  in  marshy  places 
about  nine  thousand  feet  high.  The  plant  is 
covered  with  broad  sheaths  of  faded  and  dried 
leaves.  P.  B.  var.  minor  varies  somewhat  from 
the  typical  form  in  the  shape  of  the  corolla. 

P.  RUSBYI.  Some  thirty  or  forty  years  ago 


P.  Rusbyi  was  introduced  to  garden  cultiva- 
tion. Most  often  it  has  been  found  in  New 
Mexico  and  Arizona,  on  a ledge  jutting  out 
from  a cliff  on  a side  facing  north.  It  is  a 
handsome  plant,  perhaps  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  American  species.  P.  Rusbyi  has 
leaves  with  notches  varying  in  size  and  shape 
on  different  plants  and  with  smooth  surfaces, 
free  from  farina.  The  umbel  of  blossoms  is 
carried  on  a stem  six  to  ten  inches  long  whose 
color  Reginald  Farrer  described  as  “obscure 
purple,  like  an  old  blood  stain  on  faded  vel- 
vet.” Farrer  also  thought  it  had  a “certain 
sinister  expression.”  It  grows  fairly  well  in 
shady,  cool,  especially  prepared  spots  in  the 
rock  garden  in  good  loam,  peat  and  leafmold. 

P.  MAGUIREI.  From  northeast  Utah,  a 
close  relative  of  P.  Cusickiana,  P.  Maguirei 
was  named  for  its  discoverer.  According  to 
its  description  it  has  fairly  thin,  broadly  spat- 
ulate  leaves  with  red  or  purple  flowers.  When 
there  is  only  one  bloom  the  flower  is  large 
and  conspicuous,  but  when  more  than  one  the 
flowers  grow  smaller  as  the  number  increases. 
It  grows  on  damp,  overhanging  rocks  in  the 
Wasatch  Mountains. 

P.  EXIMIA.  Growing  through  the  tundra 
of  the  Arctic  regions  this  primula  has  been 
called  by  Mr.  Walter  Eyerdam  one  of  the  love- 
liest flowers  in  the  Aleutians,  and  it  is  typical 
of  the  coastal  regions  of  the  Bering  Sea.  It  is 
a large  plant  with  smooth  leaves  with  no  meal, 
sometimes  five  inches  long,  broad  at  the  tip 
and  narrowing  to  a short  leaf  stalk.  The  leaves 
seem  rather  scalloped  but  they  lack  any 
notches.  The  flower  stem  has  traces  of  meal 
at  the  upper  end  and  the  umbel  of  flowers  con- 
sists of  six  to  ten  beautiful  purple  or  purple- 
blue  blooms.  It  is  a rare  species  but  has  been 
found  in  the  Kurile  and  Pribilof  Islands  as 
well  as  the  Aleutians.  When  brought  into  cul- 
tivation it  should  be  planted  in  a damp  spot 
in  half  shade  in  a rich,  somewhat  heavy, 
fibrous  loam. 

P.  MACCALLIAN A.  The  herbarium  speci- 
men I saw  of  P.  Maccalliana  was  collected 

(Continued  on  Page  32) 


17 


The  Fascinating  Bamboos 

Lowell  Casey* 


HPHERE  are  few  places  in  the  world  where 
^ such  a great  range  of  evergreen  ornamental 
plant  material  can  be  grown  as  in  this  area. 
Among  these  plants  the  ones  most  prized  are 
usually  most  admired  for  their  flowers,  yet  one 
plant  group  in  this  category  which,  properly 
used,  can  become  the  center  of  attention  per- 
haps as  much  as  any  other,  considered  for  its 
year  around  effect,  is  that  woody  division  of 
the  grass  family,  the  bamboos,  which  rarely 
flower.  Coming  primarily  from  the  Orient,  as 
does  the  greatest  share  of  our  other  choice 
ornamentals,  and  bearing  in  mind  how  bamboo 
constantly  appears  as  a symbol  of  beauty,  it 
would  seem  to  behoove  us  to  pay  more  atten- 
tion to  this  remarkable  plant  group. 

It  is  true,  of  course,  that  most  bamboo 
species  are  tropical  in  origin,  but,  since  there 
are  several  hundred  species  (one  source  says 
over  a thousand)  and  some  will  stand  zero 
temperature,  an  ample  number  is  suited  to  our 
climate  and  more  suited  to  most  city  gardens 
than  the  larger  tropical  forms.  It  is  also  true 
that,  although  not  all  spread  by  underground 
runners,  those  most  adaptable  here  do  so  in 
varying  degrees,  so  that  usually  their  roots 
should  be  surrounded  by  a barrier  of  concrete, 
corrosion-resistant  metal,  or  cement-asbestos 
board  to  a depth  of  two  to  four  feet,  depend- 
ing on  the  soil  conditions  and  the  specific 
nature  of  the  bamboo.  It  may  be  well  to  add 
that,  since  the  larger  ones  grown  here  seem  to 
start  their  new  growth  only  in  early  summer, 
should  they  tend  to  get  out  of  bounds,  removal 
of  unwanted  new  sprouts  as  they  appear 
should  tend  to  check  spreading.  There  are 
many  places  in  Seattle  where  a species  planted 
apparently  around  forty  years  ago  and  given 
scant  attention  has  never  spread  much. 

It  is  perhaps  well  also  to  point  out  that  one 

*We  are  happy  to  have  a first  article  on  Bam- 
boos in  The  Bulletin.  Mr.  Casey  of  Seattle  is 
an  enthusiastic  amateur  collector  of  these  un- 
usual plants. 


genus  of  plants  commonly  known  here  under 
the  name  bamboo  is  not  a bamboo  at  all  but 
species  of  Polygonum,  belonging  to  the  dock 
family.  These  plants  are  hollow-stemmed 
perennials  from  three  to  six  or  seven  feet  tall 
with  large,  somewhat  heart-shaped  leaves. 
Their  spreading  runners  are  capable  of  send- 
ing out  sucker  shoots  every  few  inches  and 
once  established  are  one  of  the  most  difficult 
of  all  plants  to  eradicate.  If  confined  they 
make  very  attractive  specimens,  but  it  is  un- 
fortunate that  they  have  become  confused  in 
many  people’s  understanding  with  bamboo. 

As  to  their  use  in  the  garden,  bamboos 
blend  with  other  garden  material  exceptionally 
well,  but  their  unusual  characteristics  make 
them  most  useful  as  accents  and  as  such  the 
larger  types  can  become  perhaps  the  most 
striking  of  anything  grown  in  this  area,  creat- 
ing exotic  effects  comparable  to  those  seen  in 
much  warmer  areas.  As  striking  vertical  ac- 
cents that  are  at  the  same  time  airy  and  grace- 
ful, their  only  close  competitor  is  the  birches, 
but,  unlike  these  latter,  they  are  much  less 
likely  to  outgrow  their  setting  and  they  do 
not  lose  their  bright  green  leaves  in  winter. 
On  occasion  they  can  be  very  effective  free 
standing  and  alone  but  usually  are  at  their 
best  packed  by  a plain  wall,  a high  solid  fence 
or  an  embankment  of  rocks,  or  in  a planting 
with  an  interesting  grouping  of  mostly  broad- 
leaved evergreen  plants  at  their  base,  contain- 
ing perhaps  a strong  sub-accent  of  bold  tex- 
ture to  contrast  with  the  bamboo.  A pool  in 
the  foreground  may  also  be  very  effective  but 

the  larger  and  woodier  forms  provide  such  a 
continuous  fall  of  leaves  and  husks  that  keep- 
ing the  pool  clean  becomes  a real  problem. 
There  are  smaller  forms  with  medium  to  very 
large  size  leaves  in  palmate  clusters  that  are 
exceedingly  handsome  and  do  not  drop  much. 
For  best  appearance  the  tall,  woody  forms  re- 
quire artful  thinning  of  the  lower  branches  as 
well  as  occasional  thinning  of  the  culms  them- 


18 


selves,  to  obtain  effects  reminiscent  of  familiar 
Oriental  illustrations. 

The  range  of  growth  of  the  bamboo  genera 
is  truly  enormous.  The  largest  tropical  forms 
can  reach  a height  of  well  over  one  hundred 
feet;  sometimes  like  the  height  of  a ten-story 
building.  The  culms  may  be  up  to  fifteen 
inches  in  diameter.  The  shortest  forms  are 
about  six  inches  tall.  Among  even  the  largest 
forms,  nearly  all  reach  their  full  height  within 
five  or  six  weeks  from  their  emergence  from 
the  ground.  The  speed  of  growth  is  compara- 
tively slower  at  the  beginning  and  end  of  this 
period  but  may  be  four  feet  per  day  at  the 
height  of  development;  the  full  diameter  of 
the  culm  is  in  evidence  by  the  time  it  exceeds 
a few  inches  in  height.  Species  grown  locally 
may  push  up  at  a rate  of  one  to  two  feet  per 
day.  Even  this  may  be  understating  the  case, 
for  an  article  published  in  Sunset  magazine  of 
May,  1943,  reported  that  a Mr.  Norris  B. 
Stone  of  Oswego,  Oregon,  had  a 3^4 -inch 
culm  that  grew  36  inches  in  24  hours.  It  can 
readily  be  realized  that  such  a growth  rate 
requires  a remarkable  root  system,  demanding 
plenty  of  rich  soil  and  much  water.  As  these 
tall  culms  or  canes  push  upward,  branches  at 
first  concealed  in  husks  just  above  the  nodes 
stretch  outward  so  that,  as  the  tip  of  the  cane 
reaches  its  ultimate  height,  all  the  branches 
have  reached  their  approximate  full  spread 
and,  as  a signal  of  this,  the  first  leaf  appears 
at  the  highest  tip  of  the  cane.  So  we  have  a 
very  tall,  tree-like  plant  structure  which  gains 
its  full  height  and  breadth  in  a few  weeks, 
then  in  a few  more  weeks  becomes  fully 
clothed  with  evergreen  leaves.  These  leaves 
are  replaced  each  season  or  sooner  with  new 
leaves,  but,  though  the  culm  will  live  for  five 
to  fifteen  or  more  years,  there  is  no  more  struc- 
tural growth  and,  though  the  stem  usually 
makes  a very  slow  change  in  color  over  a 
period  of  several  years,  there  is  no  other  ap- 
preciable change.  Culms  do  require  a three- 
year  period  to  fully  ripen,  if  they  are  to  be 
cut  for  use. 

Bamboos  are  propagated  by  division  of 
clumps,  which  should  be  done  in  the  spring, 


just  as  growth  starts.  Transplanting  may  be 
done  also  in  early  fall.  It  is  best  not  to  dis- 
turb them  at  other  times  of  the  year  and  it  is 
reported  that  winter  is  the  time  they  most 
resent  disturbance.  If  a large  species  is  started 
by  means  of  a piece  of  root  with  one  or  more 
dormant  buds,  perhaps  one  small  shoot  will 
develop  the  following  summer.  Under  favor- 
able conditions,  the  new  growth  each  year 
will  approximately  double  the  height  of  the 
previous  year’s  growth  until  the  maximum 
potential  is  reached  after  about  fifteen  years, 
whereas  a larger  division  will  develop  much 
faster  in  keeping  with  circumstances.  For 
maximum  results  the  planting  must  be  in  deep, 
rich,  light  soil  with  space  for  roots  to  attain 
a spread  equal  to  the  ultimate  height  of  the 
specimen.  This  condition  is,  of  course,  seldom 
realized  in  the  garden. 

In  the  areas  to  which  they  are  native,  vari- 
ous kinds  are  found  anywhere  from  sea  level 
to  15,000  feet  altitude.  Seventy  species  are 
native  to  the  Americas,  including  the  well- 
known  cane  brake  of  our  southern  states.  One 
of  their  notable  characteristics  which  has  made 
it  difficult  for  botanists  to  classify  them  is  the 
fact  that,  while  some  may  bloom  yearly,  others 
grow  from  30  to  50  years  without  blooming 
and  many  can  be  differentiated  only  by  that 
means.  Of  the  various  interesting  character- 
istics, none  is  more  extraordinary  than  the  pos- 
sible consequence  of  blooming.  One  portion 
of  a clump  may  bloom  spasmodically  for  sev- 
eral years,  followed  by  the  dying  of  such  por- 
tions, then  suddenly  the  whole  plant  may  burst 
into  bloom,  followed  by  the  death  of  all,  in- 
cluding the  roots.  Strangest  of  all,  specimens 
of  the  same  species  which  have  been  taken  to 
far  parts  of  the  world  in  quite  different  cli- 
mates will  perform  the  same  way  simultane- 
ously, so  that  there  may  be  nothing  left  but 
the  resulting  seed  to  perpetuate  the  species. 
In  consequence  of  this,  a popular  belief  in  cer- 
tain areas  is  that  in  times  of  great  food  scar- 
city, a compassionate  deity  causes  bamboo  to 
flower  and  yield  a harvest  of  grain,  thus  saving 
the  people  from  starvation. 

Although  we  are  not  here  concerned  with  the 


19 


commercial  production  of  bamboo  as  a raw 
material  for  processing  into  useful  items,  it  is 
of  interest  to  realize  its  range  of  usefulness  in 
that  respect.  For  example,  in  areas  where  the 
larger  sorts  thrive,  a traveling  native  may 
make  a fire  of  it  to  cook  his  food,  cut  a section 
of  bamboo  culm  just  above  the  node  to  make 
a receptable  for  cooking  among  stones  heated 
by  the  fire,  and  use  fresh  bamboo  shoots  for 
his  food.  Objects  which  may  be  made  from 
the  wood  are  almost  endless,  including  such 
large  items  as  structural  timbers,  through  the 
familiar  range  of  containers,  poles,  mats  and 
utensils,  to  such  things  as  caulking  for  boats 
or  stuffing  for  pillows  and  mattresses  as  well 
as  to  make  paper.  As  an  animal  feed  it  con- 
tains three  to  four  times  as  much  protein  as 
other  grasses  and,  aside  from  the  asparagus- 
like shoots  which  are  so  well  known  in  oriental 
cookery,  can  also  be  made  into  candy  and 
pickles.  Records  of  race  history  written  on 
bamboo  tablets  strung  together  at  one  end 
like  a fan  and  dug  up  in  A.D.  281  after  600 
years  of  burial  contained  the  history  of  Tsin 
from  784  B.  C.,  and  incidentally  of  China  for 
1500  years  before  that  date. 

Since  until  recent  years  very  little  was 
known  hereabouts  with  respect  to  bamboos 
they  were  for  long  almost  unobtainable  in 
nurseries.  Principally  through  the  activities 
of  one  supplier,  however,  quite  a few  of  the 
better  and  more  varied  species  have  found 
their  way  into  well-designed  gardens  the  past 
few  years  and  consequently  the  demand  has 
increased  so  that  more  nurseries  are  carrying 
at  last  one  species.  The  botanical  classifica- 
tions are  so  complex  and  confused  that  nurs- 
eries make  little  attempt  to  classify  them 
except  by  common  names  and  potential 
heights.  The  tall,  woody  ones  being  marketed 
here  belong  to  the  genus  Phyllostachys.  These 
include  giant  bamboo,  to  40  feet  (not  neces- 
sarily the  tallest  species  for  this  climate), 
golden-stemmed  bamboo,  similar  in  size  and 
character  to  the  above,  black-stemmed  bam- 
boo in  two  distinct  forms,  to  20  feet,  with 
stems  turning  slowly  from  green  to  brownish 


black,  and  a dwarf,  green-stemmed  bamboo 
similar  in  character  to  the  giant  species. 

Then  there  is  a group  classified  as  Sasa 
after  the  Japanese  name  for  small.  Two  of 
these  are  to  be  found,  the  larger  being  about 
five  feet  tall  with  pencil-thick  stems,  with 
leaves  to  12x3  inches,  spread  on  the  ends  of 
branches  like  extended  fingers  and  becomingly 
named  Sasa  palmata.  This  is  a very  striking 
plant  when  understanding^  grown  but  must 
be  confined  or  it  may  suddenly  appear  in  the 
middle  of  the  neighbor’s  garden.  There  is  also 
a dwarf  Sasa  which  produces  a six-to-eight- 
inch  ground  cover  with  leaves  sometimes 
variegated  (S.  Veitchii?). 

A related  genus  known  as  Pseudosasa  is 
represented  by  a species  Pseudosasa  japonica, 
six  to  eight  feet  tall  with  narrow  leaves  to  ten 
inches. 

P.  japonica  can  become  exceedingly  lush  and 
beautiful  in  a semi-shady  protected  spot  with 
other  shade-loving  plants,  such  as  dwarf  skim- 
mia,  near  by.  All  bamboos  need  protection 
from  strong  winds,  for  too  much  exposure  as 
as  well  as  too  much  dryness  increases  the  ten- 
dency of  the  leaf  edges  and  tips  to  die  and 
become  straw  colored.  This  is  especially  no- 
ticeable on  the  larger  leafed  ones. 

One  should  not  be  surprised  in  having  dif- 
ficulty in  finding  some  of  those  mentioned. 
Other  interesting  ones  can  and  will  ultimately 
be  grown  here.  Meanwhile,  those  mentioned 
constitute  a most  interesting  and  satisfying 
group  to  enhance  the  beauty  of  our  gardens. 


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The  Arboretum  Bulletin 

Vol.  XXI,  No.  1 Seattle,  Wash.  Spring,  1958 


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Phone  EAst  5-4510 


ARBORETUM  FOUNDATION  OFFICERS 
Edward  B.  Dunn,  President 
Dr.  Walter  A.  Moore,  Vice-President 
Philip  W.  Bailey,  Vice-President 
Mrs.  Page  H.  Ballard,  Vice-President 
Roscoe  Drummond,  Treasurer 
Mrs.  W.  Kirby  Holmes,  Secretary 
Miss  Gene  Webb,  Executive  Secretary 


BULLETIN  EDITORIAL  BOARD 
Brian  O.  Mulligan,  Editor 

Mrs.  Page  Ballard  Dr.  A.  R.  Kruckeberg 
Mrs.  James  Buzard  Mrs.  Beth  G.  Malmo 
Mrs.  J.  Thos.  Dowling  Mrs.  L.  N.  Roberson 
Mrs.  O.  B.  Thorgrimson 


Special  Notice 

To  keep  memberships  in  the  Arbore- 
tum Foundation  in  good  standing,  dues 
should  be  paid  during  the  month  pay- 
able. Active  memberships  more  than 
three  months  in  arrears  will  be  dropped 
and  The  Bulletin  will  be  discontinued. 


Arboretum  Membership  Blank 


□ Active  

...$  5.00 

□ Contributing  

10.00 

□ Supporting  

25.00 

□ Sustaining  

50.00 

□ Sponsor  

...  100.00 

□ Life 

...  500.00 

□ Endowment  

□ Affiliated  Garden  Clubs 

...  1,000.00 

and  other  organizations. 

10.00 

The  Arboretum  Foundation, 

University  of  Washington  Arboretum 
. Seattle  5,  Washington 

I hereby  apply  for  membership  in  the 
Arboretum  Foundation  and  remittance 
for  same  is  enclosed  to  cover  dues  for  the 
next  succeeding  12  months. 

Name  — 

Address  

All  memberships  are  non-assessable. 


Notes  and  Comment 

A badly  needed  revision  of  the  Arboretum’s 
Blooming  Calendar  has  been  inserted  in  the 
center  of  this  Bulletin.  The  new  revision 
will  be,  we  hope,  more  accurate  than  the  orig- 
inal, since  it  was  made  from  records  kept  over 
a ten-year  period.  The  list  is  more  inclusive 
since  many  new  plants  have  been  added  to 
our  collections  or  have  flowered  for  the  first 
time  in  the  past  seven  years.  The  revision 
also  included  a calendar  of  fall  foliage  and 
fruit  color  which  has  become  an  increasingly 
important  part  of  the  Arboretum’s  display. 

The  Bulletin  and  the  calendar  have  been 
stapled  separately.  By  removing  the  middle 
staple  in  the  insert  the  two  may  easily  be 
separated. 

We  are  having  a number  of  reprints  made 
of  the  Blooming  Calendar  which  will  be  avail- 
able for  distribution  from  the  Arboretum 
office. 

i i i 

Again  this  year  we  will  keep  the  Arboretum 
office  open  on  Sunday  from  10  a.m.  to  5 p.m. 
starting  on  March  29  and  continuing  until 
some  time  in  late  June,  or  as  long  as  the 
traffic  warrants.  Mr.  Witt,  the  assistant  di- 
rector, will  be  on  duty. 

i i i 

The  mild  weather  and  early  season  of  this 
year  has  brought  an  unusually  large  number 
of  visitors  to  the  Arboretum  this  spring.  On 
Sunday,  February  23,  our  traffic  counter  reg- 
istered over  a thousand  cars  passing  through. 
Last  February  we  were  unable  to  obtain  a 
count  because  of  snowy  roads. 

i i i 

The  Arboretum  was  enriched  during  Janu- 
ary by  the  gift  of  twenty-three  fine  plants  of 
rhododendrons  from  Mr.  Endre  Ostbo,  the 
well-known  nurseryman  and  rhododendron 
breeder  of  Bellevue,  Wash.,  in  memory  of  his 
late  employee  and  friend,  Nick  Tomasiello. 

Among  them  are  nine  of  Mr.  Ostbo's  own 
hybrids,  including  “King  of  Shrubs,’’  “Mrs. 
Donald  Graham”  and  the  recently  named 
“Jane  Rogers,”  “Phyllis  Ballard”  and  “Ed- 


21 


ward  Dunn”  as  well  as  “Loder’s  White,” 
Loderi  “King  George”  and  “Pink  Diamond.” 

Later  in  the  year  they  will  be  planted  in  a 
new  area  now  being  developed  well  to  the 
north  of  Rhododendron  Glen,  thus  helping  to 
connect  this  with  the  large  rhododendron 
planting  west  of  the  magnolia  section.  A 
group  of  such  excellent  plants,  flowering  over 
an  extended  period,  will  certainly  form  an 
attractive  and  worthy  feature  for  years  to 
come. 

A contribution  towards  planting  expenses 
was  made  by  Mr.  L.  Tomasiello  of  Sydney, 
Australia. 

i i i 

Dorothy  Lahr,  Curator  of  Education  at  the 
Art  Museum,  will  show  and  comment  on  slides 
of  Japanese  gardens  and  architecture  in  Room 
120,  Smith  Hall,  University  of  Washington, 
at  7 p.m.,  Thursday,  March  20. 

There  will  be  no  charge  for  this,  courtesy 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Glen  Hunt. 

i i -f 

IMPORTANT  SPRING  DATES  . . . 
to  mark  on  your  calendar! 

APRIL  8,  1958  (Tuesday)  7:30  to  9:30  p.m. 
“Botany  for  Gardeners.”  Series  II,  Educa- 
tional Program,  Room  101  Johnson  Hall, 
U.  of  W.  Campus.  (Also  April  22,  May  13 
and  May  27.) 

APRIL  13,  1958  (Sunday)  11  a.m.  to  4 p.m. 
“Cherry  Festival”  at  Arboretum. 

APRIL  16,  1958  (Wednesday)  9:30  a.m.  to 
2:30  p.m.  Work  and  Fun  Day.  Our  annual 
Arboretum  Clean-up  Day.  Everyone  in- 
vited to  help! 

APRIL  20,  21,  1958  (Sunday  and  Monday); 
APRIL  27,  28,  1958  (Sunday  and  Monday) 
11  a.m.  to  4 p.m.  Spring  series  of  “Town 
and  Country  Garden  Tours.”  Eight  beau- 
tiful gardens  to  be  visited. 

MAY  4,  1958  (Sunday).  “Crab  Apple  Fes- 
tival” at  Arboretum. 

Call  the  Foundation  office,  EAst  5-4510, 
for  further  details. 


Fall  and  Winter  Plantings 
In  the  Arboretum 

(Continued  from  Page  2) 

the  old  location  on  the  west  side  of  the  Boule- 
vard, between  Interlaken  and  Boyer  Avenue. 

MAPLES.  Eight  additional  plants  of  dif- 
ferent forms  of  the  Japanese  Acer  palmatum 
have  been  placed  on  the  hill  north  of  Wood- 
land Garden,  while  single  plants  of  five  other 
species  and  three  of  Acer  nikoense  have  been 
set  out  nearby.  The  last  had  been  moved  to 
the  nursery  a few  years  ago  from  the  old  maple 
collection  west  of  the  Boulevard,  where  they 
were  too  much  shaded  and  not  seen  by  visitors. 

MOUNTAIN  ASHES  (SORBUS).  Seven 
young  plants  of  five  species  have  been  moved 
to  the  original  collection  north  of  the  Boule- 
vard, in  the  Winkenwerder  Memorial  area. 
S.  commixta,  native  of  Japan,  and  S.  cuspidata 
from  the  Himalayas,  are  newcomers. 

Total  plants  transplanted  in  this  period, 
1042,  of  296  kinds.  Of  all  these,  approximately 
329  plants,  or  nearly  32  per  cent,  were  new 
additions  to  our  collections;  some  52  different 
genera  are  represented  among  them.  The  fol- 
lowing are  examples: 

Acer  platanoides  “Cleveland”  and  “C.  F. 
Irish” 

Camellia  japonica  “Ella  Drayton,”  “High 
Hat,”  “Martha  Brice”  and  “Tina  Gilliard” 
C.  Sasanqua  “Crimson  King,”  “Setsugekka” 
and  “Momozono” 

Erica  mediterranea  “W.  T.  Rackliff” 

Fagus  sylvatica  “Fastigiata,”  “Spaethii”  and 
“Zlatia” 

Forsythia  “Lynwood  Gold”  and  “Spring 
Glory” 

Hydrangea  Sargentiana,  native  to  central 
China 

Liquidambar  orientalis,  native  of  Turkey 
Platanus  orientalis,  Oriental  Plane  tree 
Pyracantha  Koidzumii,  native  to  Formosa 
Rhododendron  prunijolium,  a late  flowering 
red  azalea  from  Georgia  and  Alabama 
Tilia  Oliveri , native  of  central  China 
Viburnum  Tinus  “French  White”  and  “Pur- 
pureum” 

Zelkova  serrata,  Japanese  Zelkova  or  Keaki 


22 


ARBORETUM  NOTEBOOK 


This  section  is  particularly  designed  for  notes,  information  and  queries  concerning  beautiful 
or  unusual  plants  from  growers  of  all  types  or  experience.  We  solicit  your  remarks  and 
ideas,  but  space  limitations  may  sometimes  restrict  us  to  publishing  those  of  the  widest  interest. 


Garden  Hints  . . . 

APRIL 

From  an  old  Herbal 

“We  all  gotta  learn  and  go  on  learning  if 
we’ve  to  do  with  nature.  That’s  one  thing 
she  never  stops  a teachin’  of  us.” 

This  year  is  going  to  be  a bad  one  so  far 
as  garden  enemies  are  concerned.  An  open 
winter  always  complicates  work  in  the  garden. 
Begin  early  to  resist  the  invading  hordes.  Most 
plants  are  susceptible  but  especially  the  Ori- 
ental poppies,  chrysanthemums,  Michaelmas 
daisies. 

April  is  the  magic  month  to  cut  back  all 
ivies.  Growth  comes  fast  in  April  and  covers 
up  all  the  bare  branches  you  have  left  exposed. 

Cut  off  all  old  blooms  of  narcissus  but  not 
the  stems.  The  leaves  may  be  tied  in  a loose 
knot  until  they  disappear. 

The  verbascums  (mulleins)  are  decidedly 
plants  for  dry  places.  They  have  developed 
devices  to  withstand  even  direct  sun-heat  and 
with  their  fuzzy,  velvety,  silver-gray  leaves 
they  add  an  interesting  planting  to  even  poor 
soil  and  drought.  The  mulleins  have  been  im- 
proved in  late  years  and  they  are,  indeed, 
“noble  plants.” 

Among  the  “lesser  grown  shrubs”  one  might 
include  Symphoricarpus  orbiculatus,  the  Coral 
Berry  or  Indian  Currant.  It  is  an  eastern 
variety  of  our  Snowberry,  5.  rivularis.  I saw 
a sprig  of  it  in  January  with  burgundy-colored 
berries  closely  set  along  the  stem.  It  was  quite 
charming  and  an  addition  to  winter  bouquets. 

A pleasant  project  for  those  growing  Lenten 
roses  would  be  naming  an  outstanding  variety 
and  propagating  it  for  the  Arboretum  sale. 
The  names  found  in  a list  of  English  Lenten 
roses  makes  one  consumed  with  curiosity; 
Black  Knight,  Faerie  Queen,  Dora  Froebel, 
are  only  three  of  a long  list. 


Mr.  W.  J.  Bean,  who  was  an  eminent  author- 
ity on  magnolias,  said,  “There  is  not  one  mag- 
nolia that  is  not  worthy  of  cultivation.”  He 
put  Magnolia  stellata  at  the  head  of  the  list. 

MAY 

Pruning  all  flowering  shrubs  should  be  at- 
tended to  directly  after  flowering.  The 
branches  that  have  flowered  should  be  re- 
moved as  soon  as  the  flowers  have  faded.  The 
new,  short  growths  on  the  Deutzias  and  Phil- 
adelphus  should  be  left  to  grow  for  next  year’s 
blooming. 

We  seldom  see  Primula  denticulata,  and 
why?  It  is  beautiful,  it  is  easy,  it  is  showy 
and  a trusty  friend.  Its  blooms  remind  one 
of  a popcorn  ball;  white,  blue  (most  often 
blue),  purple  and  sometimes  crimson,  but 
always  a perfect  sphere.  It  does  not  like  too 
rich  soil  but  loves  to  grow  in  drifts  through 
the  shrubs.  It  grows  easily  from  seed  and 
blooms  from  early  in  March  into  May. 

Around  the  patios  of  our  modern  houses 
boxes  of  plants  seem  popular.  Cornflowers 
and  godetias  can  be  had  in  dwarf  forms; 
double  varieties  of  clear  pink  begonias  look 
well  in  a box  edged  with  pale  blue  lobelia. 
Dwarf  conifers  are  stylish  in  pots  or  boxes  on 
the  north  side  of  porches.  Dwarf  veronicas 
(V.  incana,  to  mention  only  one)  are  very 
attractive.  Starting  with  good  plants  is  sound 
policy. 

Have  we  forgotten  the  peonies?  They  are 
seldom  seen  in  our  gardens  today.  There  is  a 
wonderful  collection  in  Olympia  in  the  capitol 
gardens,  quite  worthy  of  a special  trip  to  see 
them. 

There  always  seems  to  be  a dry  spell  in 
May,  sometimes  long  or  sometimes  short. 
Trees  and  shrubs  as  well  as  plants  need  special 
attention  while  the  dry  time  lasts. 

Apropos  of  our  popular  botany  classes 
Donald  Culross  Peattie  has  this  to  say:  “There 
is  a mighty  Composite  family,  where  social 


23 


flowers  are  united  into  a city,  as  snug  within 
their  green  bracts  as  ever  a medieval  fortified 
town,  and  divided  for  different  sorts  of  labor, 
into  various  forms,  like  guilds  in  their  cos- 
tumes.” 

JUNE 

This  is  really  the  month  when  the  rose 
should  take  over.  The  Rose  Garden  at  Wood- 
land Park  is  worthy  of  a weekly  if  not  a daily 
visit  in  June.  Many  new  varieties  appear  each 
year  and  it  is  exciting  to  find  one  quite  to  your 
satisfaction. 

It  would  take  too  much  space  to  list  the  fine 
things  in  bloom  in  June,  but  we  have  a new 
“Blooming  Calendar”  for  The  Bulletin. 
Digest  it. 

I think  one  of  my  greatest  garden  pleasures 
was  a small  tree  of  Abutilon  vitijolium.  It  was 
an  offshoot  from  quite  a large  plant  in  Mr. 
Ihrig’s  garden.  It  was  an  erect  tree,  about 
eight  or  nine  feet  high  with  handsome,  downy, 
ivy-shaped  leaves  and  the  blooms  were  like 
small,  exquisite,  lavender  hollyhocks  blooming 
to  the  tip  of  the  tree.  It  died  one  year,  after  an 
early  frost  before  the  wood  had  been  ripened. 
Many  hardier  trees  have  gone  the  same  way. 
I should  try  it  again  if  I had  a chance.  It  was 
distinctly  a tree  to  be  loved  and  admired,  if 
for  only  a few  years. 

Dictamnus  albus  ( Fraxinella ) is  a handsome 
plant,  always  full  of  health  and  vigor.  It  is 
often  called  Burning  Bush  or  Gas  Plant  be- 
cause of  the  inflammable  resin  on  the  stems. 
If  a lighted  match  is  applied  when  the  flowers 
are  in  full  bloom,  a flame  will  flash  up  without 
injuring  the  plant.  It  was  often  seen  in  gar- 
dens many  years  ago  but  seldom  nowadays. 
I know  a plant  in  the  San  Juan  Islands  that  is 
three  or  four  feet  tall  and  at  least  four  feet 
across  with  rosy-red  flowers.  Sometimes  the 
flowers  are  smoky-white,  distinctive  and  un- 
usual. 

A list  of  plants  with  “neat  habits”  would 
seem  very  usable  when  one  is  planting  a border 
or  what-ever.  So  many  annuals  are  so  sprawl- 
ing it  is  impossible  to  keep  the  border  neat. 

We  wonder  why  violets  some  years  cover 
themselves  with  bloom  and  other  years  they 


seem  to  stop  blooming  entirely.  They  have  a 
rule  that  plants  must  be  divided  and  moved 
every  third  year  and  they  prefer  that  this 
operation  should  be  done  in  June. 

Perhaps  of  all  the  June  flowering  shrubs 
Viburnum  tomentosum  Mariesii  is  one  of  the 
most  striking  and  satisfactory.  The  branches 
spread  laterally  in  tiers  along  which  the  blos- 
soms are  displayed  in  garlands. 

PROPAGATION  NOTES 

Air  layering  is  a method  used  to  propagate 
plants  that  are  difficult  to  increase  by  other 
means — plants  with  rigid  branches  or  stems 
too  high  to  bend  down  for  ordinary  layering 
and  when  only  a few  new  plants  are  wanted. 

Here  are  a few  of  the  many  plants  you  can 
air  layer — maples,  dogwoods,  crab  apples, 
cherries,  viburnums,  magnolias,  hollies,  rhodo- 
dendrons, deciduous  azaleas,  wisterias  and  tree 
peonies.  During  May  and  June  is  an  excellent 
time  to  do  the  work. 

To  make  an  air  layer  select  a two-  to  three- 
year-old  branch.  If  possible,  it  should  be  free 
of  interfering  side  shoots.  Girdle  the  branch 
by  removing  a section  of  the  bark  at  least  as 
long  as  the  diameter  of  the  stem.  Dust  the 
stem  with  hormone  powder  and  cover  with 
damp  sphagnum  or  green  moss.  The  moss 
should  be  like  a sponge  from  which  the  water 
has  been  squeezed.  You'll  find  it  easier  to 
apply  if  you  mold  it  into  a ball  about  the  size 
of  a medium  grapefruit,  then  cut  it  half  way 
through  with  a sharp  knife.  Spread  the  cut 
sides  so  as  to  fit  the  moss  around  the  girdled 
section  of  the  branch  and  fasten  it  in  place 
with  a piece  of  string. 

Cover  the  moss  with  polyethylene  film.  To 
keep  out  moisture,  the  edges  of  the  film  should 
be  folded  in  like  you  would  make  a welt  or 
french  seam.  Tie  the  film  around  the  center 
to  hold  it  in  place  until  you  tape  the  ends,  top 
and  bottom,  with  electrical  scotch  tape.  The 
tape  on  the  upper  end  should  cover  the  folded 
film  and  continue  up  the  stem  to  make  a seal 
between  the  branch  and  the  film  that  will  shed 
water  and  prevent  moisture  getting  into  the 
moss.  If  necessary,  the  layered  branch  should 


24 


be  tied  into  an  upright  position  to  allow  any 
excess  water  to  drain  out. 

Layered  branches  will  develop  roots  in  from 
five  to  fourteen  months,  according  to  the 
species.  They  should  not  be  removed  until 
roots  can  be  seen  under  the  polyethylene  film. 
If  removed  before  winter  they  should  be  pot- 
ted in  a sandy  compost  and  placed  in  a shaded 
frame.  In  spring  wait  until  new  root  action 
starts  before  removing  the  layered  branch. 

J.  A.  B. 


List  of  Plant  Names 

(Continued  from  Winter,  1957) 

tripartitus 

three-parted 

tripetalus 

three-petaled 

triphyllus 

three-leaved 

tripterus 

three  winged 

Tripterygium 

Gr.,  three  and  wing, 
referring  to  fruits 

tripunctatus 

three  spotted 

triquetrus 

three-cornered 

Trisetum 

Lat.,  three  and  bristles 

trispermus 

three  seeded 

tristaclnyus 

three  spiked 

Tristania 

for  Jules  M.  C.  Tristan, 

French  botanist 

tristis 

sad,  dull 

triternatus 

thrice  in  threes 

Triticum 

old  Latin  name  for  wheat 

tritifolium 

polished  leaves 

Tritonia 

like  a vane  or  weathercock 

triumphans 

victorious 

Trochodendron 

Gr.,  wheel  and  tree 

trolliifolius 

trollius-leaved 

Trollius 

old  German  trol, 
something  round 

Tropaeolum 

from  Gr.  tropaion,  trophy 

tropicus 

of  the  tropics 

truncatus 

truncate,  cut  off  square 

tsangpoense 

from  the  Tsangpo  River,  Tibet 

tsariense 

from  Tsari,  Tibet 

tsarongense 

from  Tsarong,  Tibet 

Tschonoskii 

for  Tschonoski, 

a Japanese  collector 

Tsuga 

Japanese  name 

tubaeformis, 

tubatus 

trumpet-shaped 

tuberculatus 

having  small  knobs 

tuberosus 

producing  tubers 

tubifera 

tube-bearing 

tubiflorus 

with  tubular  flowers 

tubispathus 

tube-like  spathe 

tubuiosus 

like  a tube 

Tulipa 

from  Persian  toliban  or 
tulbend,  a turban 

tulipifera 

tulip-bearing 

tumidus 

swollen 

Tunica 

Lat.,  a tunic  or  coat 

turbinatus 

top-shaped 

turbinellus 

small  top-shaped 

turgidus 

turgid,  inflated 

Tussilago 

Lat.  tussis,  cough 

Tutcheria 

for  W.  J.  Tutcher,  Hong  Kong 

Typha 

ancient  Gr.  name 

typhinus 

pertaining  to  fever 

typicus 

typical 

SEE  US  FOR 


A good  selection  of  No.  1 


ROSES 


2-year  old 
Oregon  grown 


The  best  of  the  old  favorites,  and  the 
new  patented  varieties. 

and 


Our  heavy,  well-branched 

FRUIT  TREES  Standard 

AND 

Our  stock  of  deciduous 

FLOWERING  SHRUBS 
SHADE  TREES 
ORNAMENTAL 
FLOWERING  TREES 
Cane  Type  Berry  Plants,  etc. 

AND 


Most  any  variety  of 


HEATHER 


you  may  desire 


AND 

GARDENING  NEEDS 

— PLUS 

Free  Landscaping  Estimates 


DESCRIPTIVE  PRICE  LIST  UPON  REQUEST 
SPRING  HOURS,  8 A.M.  TO  6 P.M.  EVERY  DAY 


LI  2-4611 


"Our  Business  Is  Growing" 


RICHMOND 

NURSERIES 


Seattle-Everett  Highway  (Aurora)  to  Rich- 
mond Highlands  (N.  185th),  1 Mile  West  on 
Richmond  Beach  Road. 

Since  1903 


25 


BOOK  REVIEWS 


The  Rhododendron  and  Camellia  Yearbook , 
1958.  No.  12.  Royal  Horticultural  Society,  West- 
minster, London,  S.W.l,  (1957)  Price  $1.65  incl. 
postage. 

THE  Rhododendron  and  Camellia  Yearbook, 
1958,  of  the  R.H.S.  has  been  distributed  and 
contains  a number  of  very  interesting  articles. 

The  foremost  is  a brief  history  of  the  Rhodo- 
dendron Society,  founded  in  1915,  with  a list  of 
the  original  members,  most  of  whom  are  well 
known  to  those  interested  in  Rhododendron  cul- 
ture. 

In  addition  to  the  names  with  which  most  of 
us  are  familiar,  there  are  mentioned  other  pio- 
neers of  Rhododendron  breeding  and  culture 
whose  mark  is  still  very  influential.  Some  of 
them  are:  Anthony  Waterer,  Anderson-Henry  of 
Edinburgh,  and  H.  J.  Mangles  in  particular,  some 
of  whose  hybrids  are  among  the  best  garden 
shrubs  today. 

I have  a number  of  old  volumes  of  the  Journal 
of  Horticulture,  published  in  the  1880’s,  where 
Mangles  gives  details  of  some  of  the  Rhododen- 
dron crosses  he  made  and  bloomed.  I will  men- 
tion only  three:  ponticum  x Griffithianum  (now 
named  ‘Loder’s  White,’  because  it  was  acquired 
by  Sir  Edmund  Loder) ; campanulatum  x Grif- 
fithianum (‘Beauty  of  Littleworth’) ; and  ponti- 
cum x (Azalea)  luteum,  (‘Glory  of  Littleworth’) . 
‘Loder’s  White’  in  particular  has  been  mentioned 
numerous  times  as  the  best  garden  rhododen- 
dron in  existence. 

There  is  a well-illustrated  article  on  Col.  J.  I. 
Horlick’s  “Gardens  on  the  Isle  of  Gigha,”  by 
P.  M.  Synge;  also  one  on  “Westbourn,”  by  Lan- 
ning  Roper. 

“Ghent  Azaleas,”  by  Donald  Waterer,  names 
and  describes  some  of  the  older  but  still  very 
worthwhile  azaleas. 

“Rhododendrons  and  Camellias  at  Pylewell 
Park,”  also  by  P.  M.  Synge,  has  been  illustrated 
with  some  beautiful  photographs  of  old  and 
large  rhododendrons  in  a mild  climate  in  the 
south  of  England. 

Of  particular  interest  to  all  of  us  who  live  in 
the  Northwest  is  the  article  on  the  November 
1955  freeze,  the  events  leading  up  to  it,  and  the 
immediate  damage  and  the  after  effects.  The 
author,  Harry  R.  Madison,  has  carefully  tab- 
ulated all  the  temperatures,  rainfall  and  other 
phenomena  of  that  disastrous  year. 

The  article  on  the  Rhododendron  Show,  1957, 
by  P.  M.  Synge,  is  illustrated  by  an  attractive 
colored  plate,  but  I think  one  or  two  closer 
views,  giving  more  detail,  would  have  been 
appreciated.  There  are  short  articles  on  the 
Scottish  Rhododendron  Show,  1957,  by  Dr.  J.  M. 
Cowan,  on  the  Seattle  Rhododendron  Show  and 
on  the  Tacoma  Rhododendron  Show. 

There  is  a list  of  awards  to  camellias  and  rho- 
dodendrons, articles  on  “Camellias  in  Califor- 
nia,” by  Sir  Giles  Loder;  “Camellias  in  Virginia,” 
by  Frederic  Heutte;  “Camellias  in  New  Zealand”; 
an  article  on  the  “Confusion  in  Camellia  Nomen- 
clature,” by  Charles  Puddle,  and  a description 
of  the  Camellia  Show  and  Competition  held  in 
London  in  April,  1957. 

Two  books,  The  Camellia,  edited  by  Beryl 
Leslie  Urquhart,  and  Rhododendrons  1956,  pub- 


lished by  the  American  Rhododendron  Society, 
are  reviewed. 

The  names  of  the  members  of  the  Rhododen- 
dron and  Camellia  Committee  for  1957  are  in- 
cluded. 

The  book  is  well  illustrated  with  51  black  and 
white  photographs,  as  well  as  a colored  frontis- 
piece of  R.  cinnabarinum  Roylei,  and  of  the 
Rhododendron  Show  in  color  mentioned  above. 

L.  E.  B. 

i i i 

The  Hundred  Finest  Trees  and  Shrubs  for 
Temperate  Climates.  Plants  & Gardens,  Brook- 
lyn Botanic  Garden  Record,  Autumn,  1957.  Price 
$1.00. 

THIS  little  paperbound  handbook  is  another 
of  the  very  fine  and  useful  series  being  pub- 
lished by  the  Brooklyn  Botanic  Garden.  In  it, 
as  the  title  indicates,  they  have  attempted  to 
chose  the  hundred  best  trees  and  shrubs  for 
temperate  North  America.  Considering  the  tre- 
mendous amount  of  plant  material  available, 
those  responsible  for  the  final  selection  of  the 
hundred  have  compiled  a very  impressive  and 
useful  list.  The  plants  are  divided,  alphabeti- 
cally by  scientific  name,  into  a section  on  trees 
and  another  on  shrubs.  Each  selection  is  de- 
scribed briefly  but  adequately,  in  short  para- 
graphs on  Outstanding  Features,  Habit  and  Use, 
Hardiness,  Culture,  and  Varieties  or  Kinds.  The 
information  included  is  well  designed  to  stimu- 
late interest  in  the  particular  plant  being  de- 
scribed. 

As  might  be  imagined  in  a work  of  this  type, 
which  is  expected  to  cover  a continent,  many 
fine  plants  were  omitted.  The  Californian  may 
ask,  where  are  the  Eucalyptus?  The  North 
Dakotan,  where  are  the  Caraganas?  There  does 
seem  to  be  an  imbalance  in  some  of  the  choices, 
however.  Four  viburnums  have  been  included 
and  not  one  juniper;  three  euonymus  and  only 
one  daphne;  both  of  the  sequoia  species,  but  not 
a single  true  fir  or  chamaecyparis.  From  the 
point  of  view  of  the  Pacific  Coast  the  list  is  very 
deficient,  ignoring  the  manzanitas,  the  ceanothus 
and  many  other  fine  trees  and  shrubs  commonly 
grown  here,  yet  at  the  same  time  including  such 
comparatively  rare  plants  as  the  golden  larch, 
Pseudolarix  amabilis,  and  the  dawn  redwood, 
Metasequoia  glyptostroboides. 

Nevertheless,  when  one  considers  the  hercu- 
lean task  that  must  have  gone  into  sorting  out 
the  present  list,  one  can  feel  that  the  few  errors 
and  apparent  omissions  are  completely  over- 
balanced by  the  fine  end  results.  Incidentally, 
one  should  be  sure  to  read  Dr.  G.  S.  Avery’s 
introductory  remarks  before  even  opening  to 
the  first  selections  as  they  are  designed  to  allay 
the  wrath  of  those  whose  favorites  have  been 
overlooked.  j a.  W. 

i i i 

Camellias  Illustrated.  Revised  and  enlarged 
edition;  edited  by  Morrie  L.  Sharp,  sponsored  by 
Oregon  Camellia  Society.  (Portland,  Oregon, 
1957.)  Price  $5.00. 

ClAMELLIAS  ILLUSTRATED  was  first  pub- 
' lished  in  1948  for  the  camellia  fancier.  It 
covers  all  of  the  phases  of  camellia  lore  in  a 


26 


clear,  concise  manner.  Two  hundred  seventy-six 
black-and-white  and  ninety-eight  colored  pho- 
tographs are  used  to  illustrate  the  species;  ja- 
ponica,  sasanqua,  reticulata,  hybrids  and  numer- 
ous varieties. 

Directions  for  planting  and  outdoor  and  green- 
house culture  are  fully  covered,  along  with  a 
discussion  of  pests  and  diseases  and  their  cures. 
Illustrated  directions  give  detailed  information 
for  propagating  by  means  of  seeds,  leaf  cuttings, 
stem  cuttings,  grafting  and  air  layering.  The 
making  of  corsages  and  the  use  of  camellias  in 
flower  arrangements  is  clearly  demonstrated. 

Between  the  covers  of  this  book  the  camellia 
addict  can  find  the  answers  to  most  of  his  ques- 
tions about  his  particular  hobby — growing  fine 
camellias. 

H.  G.  B. 

i i i 

Exotic  Forest  Trees  in  Great  Britain.  Forestry 
Commission  Bulletin  No.  30.  Edited  by  James 
MacDonald,  R.  F.  Wood,  M.  V.  Edwards  and  J.  R. 
Aldhaus,  Her  Majesty’s  Stationery  Office,  Lon- 
don, 1957.  Price  17  shillings  and  sixpence  ($2.45) . 

IT  IS  ALWAYS  interesting  to  meet  old  friends 
in  unfamiliar  surroundings  and  in  this  pub- 
lication we  have  the  pleasure  of  observing  many 
familiar  trees  in  a foreign  environment — The 
British  Isles.  Illustrated  by  a number  of  excel- 
lent photographs  one  finds  descriptions  of  such 
native  Northwestern  conifers  as  Pacific  silver, 
white,  alpine,  grand  and  noble  fir,  Alaska  yellow 
cedar,  western  larch,  Engelmann  and  Sitka 
spruce,  lodgepole  and  ponderosa  pine,  western 
red  cedar  and  western  and  mountain  hemlocks. 
Among  descriptions  of  broadleaved  trees  is  the 
familiar  big  leaf  maple.  Numerous  other  conifers 
and  broadleaves  are  also  described  and  illu- 
strated. 

The  first  portion  of  this  publication  treats  the 
reasons  for  extensive  introductions  of  trees 
exotic  to  the  British  Isles,  as  well  as  with  the 
history  of  many  of  these  introductions,  and  the 
relationship  of  these  species  to  the  British  for- 
estry program. 

This  book  is  an  outgrowth  of  a recommenda- 
tion, following  the  Sixth  Commonwealth  For- 
estry Conference  which  met  in  Canada  in  1952, 
for  a detailed  account  of  the  use  of  exotic  species 
in  the  British  Commonwealth;  it  represents  the 
response  of  Great  Britain  to  this  recommenda- 
tion. 

C.  Frank  Brockman 


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The  Shrubby  Penstemons 

(Continued  from  Page  9) 

or  treatment  in  ordinary  garden  soils,  but 
benefit  from  a mulching  with  pine  needles. 
Fruticosus,  at  least,  blooms  better  and  remains 
more  compact  if  the  plants  are  sheared  just 
after  blooming.  Old  plants  which  tend  to  die 
out  in  the  center  or  become  leggy  may  be  re- 
habilitated by  filling  in  the  center  with  soil 
or  sphagnum.  Diseases  and  pests  are  not  a 
problem,  though  occasional  plants  may  die 
suddenly  for  no  apparent  reason.  One  such 
that  I examined  had  rotted  at  the  ground  line, 
whether  from  injury  or  poor  drainage  I do  not 
know.  In  some  regions  the  evergreen  foliage 
tends  to  “burn”  in  the  winter  time  if  not  pro- 
tected from  drying  winds.  Newberryi  is  re- 
ported as  somewhat  given  to  dying  after 
blooming  for  reasons  undetermined;  others 
report  it  as  easy  and  long  lived. 

New  plants  can  be  started  easily  from  cut- 
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the  main  plants,  as  they  have  a tendency  to 
root  themselves  where  they  touch  the  ground. 
Plants  may  also  be  raised  from  seed  sown  on 
top  of  the  soil,  outdoors,  to  catch  the  last 
month  or  so  of  winter  freezing;  they  should 
bloom  the  second  or  third  year.  Interesting 
variations  can  be  obtained  from  seed,  par- 
ticularly if  several  species  are  grown  close  to- 
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Unfortunately  for  those  who  would  like  to 
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only  a few  of  the  species  and  clones  are  avail- 
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Hamamelidaceae 

(Continued  from  Page  6) 

pretty  shrub  is  not  dependably  hardy.  It  may 
be  grown  outside  in  summer  and  wintered  in 
an  unheated  greenhouse  where  it  displays  its 
white  witch-hazel-like  blossoms. 

Distylium  racemosum.  A Japanese  ever- 
green shrub  (a  tree  in  Japan)  of  5 to  6 feet, 
rather  stiff,  with  rigid  short  branches.  The 
flowers,  in  April  and  May,  are  borne  on  slen- 
der racemes,  without  petals,  having  a 5-parted 
red  calyx  with  several  reddish  purple  stamens. 
The  leaves  are  leathery,  thick,  alternate,  ovate, 
shining  deep  green.  This  shrub  is  curious 
rather  than  beautiful.  Its  nearest  ally  is 
Sycopsis. 

Sy  cop  sis  sinensis  (from  Sykos , fig,  and  op- 
sis , likeness  to.)  A hardy  evergreen  bushy 
shrub  or  small  tree,  from  China,  up  to  20  feet. 
The  leaves  are  elliptical,  leathery,  dark  green. 
The  flowers,  in  small  dense  clusters  less  than 
an  inch  long,  are  without  petals.  The  ten  yel- 
low stamens  are  enclosed  by  reddish  brown 
bracts.  These  inconspicuous  blossoms  appear 
in  February  or  March.  This  evergreen  shrub 
is  neat  and  of  distinct  appearance,  but  not 
showy.  It  is  a useful  but  not  indispensable 
garden  subject. 

Parrotia  persica,  a hardy  deciduous  tree  to 
40  feet  with  smooth  gray  bark  which  peels 
in  flakes  like  the  plane  tree.  The  lower 
branches  should  be  pruned  back  sharply  when 
young,  otherwise  this  tree  is  apt  to  remain 
stunted.  The  flowers,  without  petals,  appear 
in  March.  Although  the  flowers  themselves  are 
insignificant  the  clusters  of  red  stamens  are 


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conspicuous  and  are  supported  by  brown  and 
green  hairy  bracts  on  the  leafless  branches, 
giving  a hazy  red  effect.  The  chief  beauty  of 
this  tree  is  its  handsome  yellow,  orange  and 
crimson,  beech-like  autumn  foliage  which  re- 
mains in  beauty  a long  time.  Few  trees  are 
more  brilliant  in  this  autumn  phase. 

Parrotiopsis  Jacquemontiana,  a related 
hardy  deciduous  tree  to  20  feet  with  a smooth 
gray  trunk.  Although  the  blossoms,  which 
are  produced  from  April  to  July,  are  without 
petals,  the  numerous  yellow  stamens  are  sur- 
rounded by  conspicuous  petal-like  white 
bracts,  after  the  manner  of  our  native  dog- 
wood, and  are  the  chief  feature  of  the  in- 
florescence, which  is  two  inches  across.  This 
is  not  a particularly  showy  plant,  but  is 
pretty  when  well  furnished  with  flower  heads. 
Its  orange  autumn  coloring  is  very  fine. 

Sinowilsonia  Henryi,  a Chinese  deciduous 
shrub  or  small  tree  to  25  feet  or  more.  The  in- 
conspicuous flowers  are  without  petals,  green- 
ish, in  slender  terminal  pendulous  racemes 
about  3 inches  long,  and  have  no  real  beauty. 
The  leaves  are  large  and  linden-like.  The 
shrub  itself  is  of  only  mild  interest. 

Disanthus  cercidifolius  comes  from  the  high 
mountains  of  central  Japan  and  demands,  like 
so  many  in  the  hamamelis  group,  a light  peaty 
soil  such  as  that  in  which  the  heaths  flourish. 
As  the  name  implies  the  leaves  are  like  the 
Redbud.  This  species  is  a hardy  deciduous 
ornamental  shrub  to  ten  feet,  of  elegant  habit 
with  distinct  and  handsome  foliage  turning 
in  autumn  to  one  of  the  loveliest  of  claret- 


reds  suffused  with  orange.  The  small  flowers 
appear  in  October,  about  the  time  of  leaf-fall, 
and  are  borne  in  pairs;  the  petals  are  nar- 
row, purple  in  color. 

In  the  Arboretum  the  Hamamelis  family 
will  be  found  on  the  east  side  of  Arboretum 
Drive,  across  the  road  from  the  holly  collec- 
tion. It  is  particularly  interesting  in  late  win- 
ter and  early  spring,  the  flowering  season,  and 
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American  Primulas 

(Continued  from  Page  17) 

many  years  ago  and  it  was  impossible  to  guess 
its  original  color.  It  has  been  described  as  pale 
pink  or  bluish  with  a conspicuous  orange  eye. 
The  flower  stem  was  three  inches  or  longer  and 
the  leaves  were  one-half  inch  long,  pale  green 
above  and  more  or  less  mealy  beneath.  This 
specimen  was  collected  in  the  Canadian 
Rockies  on  Bear  Creek  which,  apparently,  by 
the  inscription,  is  in  Saskatchewan. 

Cunei folia  Section 

P.  CUNEIFOLIA.  This  is  a cunning  and 
choice  little  species  called  “Pixie  Eyes”  in 
Alaska.  It  grows  in  Eastern  Siberia,  on  the 
islands  in  the  Bering  Straits,  as  far  south  as 
Juneau  and  Seward  where  there  is  a white 
form.  It  forms  a tuft  of  smooth  leaves,  which 
are  one-fourth  to  three-fourths  inches  long, 
wedge-shaped  and  notched  at  the  top,  with  no 
meal.  My  first  impression  on  seeing  it  in  the 
herbarium  was  its  likeness  to  P.  minima,  but 
the  leaves  are  not  square  across  the  top.  It 
has  an  umbel  of  from  one  to  six  rose-colored 
flowers  on  a stem  four  to  five  inches  long. 
Growing  in  the  Arctic  it  is  naturally  hardy 
and  in  the  garden  will  generally  flourish  in 
gritty  fibrous  loam,  in  a moist,  open  spot.  Mr. 


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Walter  Eyerdam,  in  an  article  in  “Little  Gar- 
dens/’ says  it  is  a very  variable  species  in  size 
and  character  of  the  leaves  and  flowers.  He 
reports  it  growing  in  alpine  meadows  where 
the  ground  is  still  damp  from  melted  snow. 

P.  SUFFRUTESCENS.  High  in  the  Sierra 
Nevada  Mountains  of  California,  the  moun- 
tain climber  may  meet  a little  shrub-like,  part- 
ly prostrate  plant  with  dense  tufts  of  leaves 
growing  in  rosettes  at  the  end  of  stout,  woody 
stems.  The  leaves  are  leathery  in  texture,  like 
a wedge  in  shape,  smooth,  with  no  meal,  and 
notched  at  the  top  with  from  four  to  seven 
sharp  teeth.  If  found  in  June  or  July  there 
may  be  an  umbel  of  clear  pink  flowers  with 
yellow  eyes  topping  a stem  from  two  to  five 
inches  high.  Undoubtedly  this  is  P.  suffrutes- 
cens,  which  has  been  more  or  less  of  a puzzle 
to  primula  growers  since  1884  when  it  was  in- 
troduced into  cultivation.  It  belongs  to  the 
Cuneifolia  section,  a group  fairly  closely  re- 
lated to  the  Farinosae  section.  A grower  on 
Vancouver  Island  grew  P.  suffrut'escens  for 
twelve  years  in  an  alpine  house  as  it  does  not 
like  our  wet  winters.  It  seeds  sparingly  but 
may  be  propagated  by  cuttings. 

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Newer  Hybrid  Lilies 

(Continued  from  Page  14) 

Dr.  C.  F.  Patterson,  at  the  University  of 
Saskatchewan,  used  L.  cernuum,  a small, 
hardy,  lilac-pink  species  from  Korea  and  Man- 
churia, to  produce  hybrids  for  his  rigorous  cli- 
mate. I prefer  his  “Edith  Cecilia,”  “Lemon 
Queen”  and  “White  Princess,”  but  there  are 
several  others  that  you  who  must  grow  your 
lilies  in  a cold  climate  might  do  well  to  try. 

Percy  Byam  has  given  us  “Dark  Eyes”  and 
“Ruby,”  both  grand  low-growing  reds,  as 
well  as  two  taller  yellows,  “Melody”  and 
“Symphony,”  which  trace  to  the  Stenographer 
hybrids. 

Dr.  F.  L.  Skinner  of  Manitoba  has  origi- 
nated many  lilies  other  than  those  of  the 
Martagon-Hansonii  group  mentioned  above. 
His  “Duchess,”  “Helen  Carroll”  and  “Lemon 
Lady”  are  good,  easily-grown  yellows. 

Despite  the  great  interest  in  pink  trumpet 
lilies,  I have  avoided  the  subject.  There  are 
several  strains  and  a few  clones  on  the  market, 


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but  not  all  are  satisfactory.  Some  are  not  pink 
and  others  do  not  stay  pink.  I make  no  recom- 
mendations but  wish  to  state  that  some  excel- 
lent pink  trumpet  lilies  were  at  the  1957  shows 
and  will  soon  be  obtainable.  You  will  enjoy 
them.  Both  of  our  pink  trumpet  species  (L. 
japonicum  and  L.  rubellum ) are  a little  diffi- 
cult but  some  of  the  new  hybrid  pink  trumpets 
that  I saw  last  summer  are  far  superior  to 
either.  Edgar  Kline’s  Cameo  hybrids  ( L . 
auratum  x L.  japonicum ) should  be  available 
next  year.  They  are  good. 

There  are  many  more  new  hybrids  that  I 
should  describe  and  some  very  capable  hybri- 
dizers whom  I should  mention  but  the  limita- 
tions of  space  must  be  observed. 

I must  tell,  however,  about  the  triploid  lilies 
produced  by  the  U.  S.  Dept,  of  Agriculture. 
By  shock  treatment  the  number  of  chromo- 
somes is  increased  from  24  to  36.  The  result- 
ing plants  are  about  fifty  percent  larger  with 
proportionate  increase  in  vigor,  substance  and 
hardiness.  I have  seen  only  the  Easter  lily 
so  treated  but  if  the  same  simple  methods  will 
apply  to  the  many  other  species  and  hybrids  in 
cultivation  we  will  be  amazed  at  the  new  lily 
forms  that  will  appear  in  the  near  future. 


Rhododendron  repens  hybrids,  many  new 
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Bog  Gardens 

(Continued  from  Page  11) 

nary  rhubarb  but  a close  relative;  Saxijraga 
peltata  maxima,  also  known  as  Peltiphyllum 
peltatum;  Fatsia  japonica,  Gunner  a dentata, 
Acanthus  spinosus  or  Bear’s  Breeches,  and 
Oplopanax  horridum,  mentioned  previously 
and  justifiably  known  as  Devil’s  Club  by  rea- 
son of  the  closely  crowded  spines  on  the 
stems.  Clumps  of  Bamboo  might  be  used  with 
these  plants. 

Sufficient  space  must  be  allotted  to  such  a 
section  of  the  bog  garden  to  get  the  full  ef- 
fect from  the  bulkiness  of  the  plants  and  the 
large  scale  of  the  leaves.  Nor  will  they  be 
good  associates  for  some  types  of  smaller 
plants  which  they  might  overshadow.  Scale 
becomes  as  important  here  as  elsewhere  even 
though  it  is  not  within  the  province  of  this 
article  to  treat  it.  We  can  only  admonish 
those  covetous  gardeners  who  want  to  grow 
“some  of  everything”  that  they  give  some 
thought,  when  planting  a bog,  to  the  old  adage 
about  “a  place  for  everything  and  everything 
in  its  place.” 

We  must  acknowledge,  also,  the  gradations 
of  moisture  in  a bog  garden  no  matter  how  we 
choose  to  classify  them.  Shallow,  deep,  very 
deep;  or  light,  medium,  heavy;  the  words  do 
not  matter  as  long  as  we  accept  the  fact  that 
we  must  consider  the  degree  of  bogginess  pres- 
ent when  selecting  plants.  One  must  recog- 
nize that  Skunk  Cabbage  ( Symplocarpus  joe- 
tidus)  tolerates  wet  feet  to  a greater  extent 
than  does  little  Primula  rosea  grandiflora. 
T axodium  distichum,  the  interesting  and  beau- 
tiful Swamp  Cypress  from  the  south,  thrives 
in  water-saturated  soil.  Rhamnus  Purshiana 
only  tolerates  nothing  more  than  a moderate 
amount  of  moisture.  Yet  the  latter  as  well 
as  the  former  might  be  introduced  into  a bog 
garden. 

Oddities  which  grow  in  swampy  ground  may 
appeal  to  some  people.  There  are  among 
these  some  carnivorous  plants  such  as  Sundew 
( Dr o sera),  Pitcherplant  (Sarracenia) , and 
Cobra  or  California  Pitcher  Plant  ( Darling - 
tonia  calif ornica) . Though  difficult  to  obtain, 


36 


the  sundews  may  be  grown  from  seed. 

A visit  to  the  University  of  Washington 
Arboretum  will  open  the  way  to  closer  ac- 
quaintance with  some  of  the  unusual  plants 
which  might  grace  a bog  garden.  Here  are  a 
few  to  be  seen  there:  Azalea  canescens,  Azalea 
Vaseyi,  Azalea  viscosa — by  far  the  most  adapt- 
able to  wet  places,  Rhodora  canadensis , An- 
dromeda polijolia,  Leucothoe  Catesbaei,  Erica 
Tetralix,  Vaccinium  corymb osum  and  others, 
Kalmia  angustifolia,  Cornus  alba,  Cornus  san- 
guinea,  Ledum  columbianum,  hollies  such  as 
Ilex  glabra — the  Inkberry — and  Ilex  verticil- 
lata,  the  scented  shrub  Myrica  Gale  or  Bog 
Myrtle,  and  various  willows. 

Some  spectacular  natural  bogs  offer  ideas, 
too.  Engraven  on  my  mind  is  a vivid  picture 
painted  by  acres  of  Lythrum  Salicaria,  purple 
loosestrife,  toes  in  water  along  a lake  marge, 
the  myriad  stalks  topped  by  red-purple 
spikes.  Even  cat-tails,  Typha  la ti folia,  in 
masses,  have  captured  my  attention,  especially 
if  red-winged  blackbirds  were  lighting  and 
perching  among  them,  with  their  occasional 
sharp  “Oak-a-lee-ker”  piercing  the  autumn 
calmness.  How  often,  also,  I have  revelled 
in  the  display  of  the  fairly  subdued  rose- 
colored  feathery  flowers  of  Steeplebush  or 
Hardhack  ( Spiraea  Douglasii ) as  their  4-to-6- 
foot  thickets  invaded  unimproved  lakes. 

The  plants  herewith  named  are  intended  to 
serve  more  as  an  index  in  the  investigation  of 
which  a book-length  list  of  references  might 
be  compiled.  Ingenuity  and  imagination  will 
suggest  adaptations  of  known  plans  of  bog 
plantings.  Actual  situations  will  further  vary 
the  appearance  of  any  new  plan  being  consid- 
ered. Start  with  other  people’s  ideas  in  bog 
gardening  as  in  other  endeavors,  but  pursue 
them  in  your  own  way  and  you  will  soon  out- 
strip designs  passed  on  to  you  and  will  create 
something  new  and  original.  Your  bog  garden 
will  be  valuable  to  you  as  well  as  to  those 
who  visit  it  because  it  is  your  own.  Research, 
followed  by  careful  planning  on  paper,  fol- 
lowed in  turn  by  thoughtful  selection  of  ma- 
terial, will  be  rewarded  by  success  measured  in 
terms  of  maintenance-free  enjoyment. 


Bibliography 

Credit  for  assistance  with  this  article  is 
due  many  gardening  friends  who  have  been 
good  enough  to  discuss  the  subject  with  me, 
and  to  Mr.  Mulligan,  director  of  the  Arbo- 
retum, for  a list  of  plants  to  be  found  there. 
A full  bibliography  would  be  too  lengthy  for 
inclusion  since  only  a fraction  of  the  material 
in  each  source  is  pertinent  to  the  topic.  Com- 
mercial catalogues,  various  encyclopedias  and 
dictionaries  of  gardening,  as  well  as  numerous 
periodicals  have  been  consulted. 

PARTIAL  BIBLIOGRAPHY 

Books — 

“Water  Gardening,”  Frances  Perry  (1938) . 

“The  Garden  Today,”  A.  T.  Johnson  (1938). 
Chap.  12;  “Moisture  Loving  Primulas.” 

“Goldfish  Varieties  and  Water  Gardens,”  Wm. 
T.  Innes  (1947).  Chap,  on  Aquatic  Plants. 

“Flora  of  Washington,”  C.  V.  Piper  (1906). 

“Old  Man’s  Garden,”  Annora  Brown  (1954). 
Chap.  VII;  “Desert  and  Swamp.” 

Magazines — 

“Plants  That  Like  the  Streamside  and  the 
Swamp,”  James  Bush-Brown,  Real  Garden- 
ing (Sept.  1939). 

“Plants  for  Rock  Margined  Pools,”  Anderson 
McCully,  Garden  and  the  Gardeners’  Chron- 
icle (Oct.  1950). 


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Flowering  Cherry 
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Pink  Dogwood 
Ilex  bullata 
Pine 

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University  of  Washington  Arboretum 
Seattle  5,  Washington 


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POSTMASTER:  If  addressee  has  removed,  please  notify  us  of  new  address  on  Form  3547,  postage  for  which  is  guaranteed. 


FISHER’S— a great  brand  name  of  the  West— is 
your  guide  to  the  finest  in  flours,  cereals  and  mixes... 
a sure  symbol  of  quality  wherever  it  appears. 


Fisher  Flouring  Mills  Company,  Seattle,  Wash.,  U.S.A.