Skip to main content

Full text of "Washington Park Arboretum Bulletin"

See other formats 


Washington  Park 

Arboretum  Bulletin 

Published  by  the  Arboretum  Foundation 
for  the  University  of  Washington 
Vol.  49,  No.  4,  Winter  1986 


$2.50 


STAFF 

Harold  B.  Tukey,  Jr. 

Director  of  Arboreta 
Brian  O.  Mulligan 
Director  Emeritus 
Timothy  Hohn 
Curator,  Plant  Collections 
J.  A.  Wott 

Professor,  Continuing 
Education 

OFFICERS  OF  THE 
ARBORETUM  FOUNDATION 
Mrs.  C.  Edwards  Simons,  Jr. 

President 
Mr.  Richard  Doss 
1st  Vice-President 
Mrs.  David  Taft 
2nd  Vice-President 
Mr.  Paul  Thienes 
3rd  Vice-President 
Dr.  Alan  Adams 
4th  Vice-President 
Mrs.  J.  Newton  Morris 
Secretary 

Mrs.  Frank  Thome 
Treasurer 

Col.  Leroy  P.  Collins 
Immediate  Past-President 

BULLETIN  EDITORIAL 
BOARD 
Nancy  Pascoe 
Editor 

Nancy  Ballard 
James  Clark 
Col.  Leroy  P.  Collins 
Rosamund  P.  Engle 
S.P.  Gessel 
Timothy  Hohn 
Tina  Kuhnle 
B.J.D.  Meeuse 
Brian  O.  Mulligan 
Jan  Pirzio-Biroli 
Ruth  E.  Vorobik 


Concerning  This  Issue... 

This  issue  of  the  Bulletin  contains  many 
articles  of  international  interest  — starting  with  Ward 
Horn's  report  about  the  University's  involvement  in 
the  international  seed  exchange.  In  addition  we  have 
two  fun  articles  about  British  gardens;  one  by  Dennis 
Thompson,  plant  expert,  and  the  other  by  Sue 
Buckles,  who  has  a particular  interest  in  those  gardens 
around  the  Welsh  border.  A little  closer  to  home  is  an 
article  about  the  University  of  British  Columbia's 
plant  introduction  program  by  Bruce  Mcdonald.  So  as 
not  to  give  short  shrift  to  the  gardens  of  the  United 
States,  Virginia  Morrel  has  written  about  Wave  Hill 
in  the  Bronx.  Although  technically  not  international, 
the  University  of  Washington's  Herbarium  draws 
together  the  plant  knowledge  from  countries  all  over 
the  world.  Melinda  Denton,  Curator  of  the  Herbarium 
has  written  an  interesting  article  about  the  role  of 
herbaria  in  general  and  the  University's  Herbarium  in 
specific. 

This  is  a good  time  to  sit  by  the  fire  and  do 
some  armchair  garden  touring! 

Nancy  Pascoe 
Editor 


The  ARBORETUM  BULLETIN  is  published  quarterly,  as  a bonus  of  membership,  by  the  Arboretum 
Foundation,  a non-profit  organization  to  further  the  development  of  the  Washington  Park  Arboretum.  Information 
regarding  membership  in  the  Foundation  may  be  obtained  by  writing  to  the  Arboretum  Foundation,  University  of 
Washington  XD-10,  Seattle,  WA  98195  or  by  calling  (206)  325-4510.  Articles  on  botany  and  horticulturally-related 
subjects  written  by  professional  and  amateur  botanists,  horticulturists,  educators  and  gardeners  are  welcome.  No  part  of 
the  BULLETIN  may  be  reprinted  without  the  authority  of  the  Arboretum  Foundation.  Typesetting  and  design  by  Nancy 
Pascoe,  lithography  by  United  Graphics  Printers. 

©copyright  1986,  Arboretum  Foundation 


UW  Arboretum  Bulletin 


The  Washington  Park 


Arboretum  Bulletin 

VOLUME  49,  NUMBER  4,  WINTER  1986 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 


The  International  Seed  Exchange,  by  Ward  Horn 2 

The  University  of  British  Columbia  Botanical  Garden's 
Plant  Introduction  Scheme — An  Innovative  Program  for 
the  Introduction  of  New  and  Recommended  Plants, 
by  Bruce  Macdonald 5 

In  The  Arboretum,  by  Barbara  Engler 9 

Small  British  Gardens — Some  Personal  Favorties,  by 
Dennis  Thompson 10 

Gardens  of  the  Welsh  Border  Country,  by  Sue  Buckles... 

Wave  Hill,  by  Virginia  Morrel 20 

A Collection  of  Botanical  Treasures — The  University 
of  Washington  Herbarium,  by  Melinda  F.  Denton 22 

Arboretum  Foundation  Book  Fair 25 

The  Donald  G.  Graham  Visitors  Center 26 

The  Arboretum  Foundation  Spring  Garden  Tour 27 

A Letter  to  the  Editor 27 


COVER 

Idesia  polycarpa,  a well-known 
feasture  of  the  gardens  at  Wave  Hill. 

From  the  book  leones  Plantarum 
Sinicarum,  edited  by  Hsen-Hsu  Hu  & 
Woon- Young  Chun,  published  by  the 
Commercial  Press,  Shanghai,  China. 


The  International  Seed  Exchange 


WARD  HORN 


We  call  it  the  "International  Seed 
Exchange",  which  is  an  imposing  name  for 
something  with  no  charter  or  by-laws,  no 
offices  or  committees,  no  dues  and,  perhaps 
best  of  all,  no  meetings.  Nevertheless,  it 
exists  on  a world-wide  basis  and  is  a major 
source  of  plant  material  for  botanical  gardens 
and  arboreta.  It's  operations  are  simple;  partic- 
ipating institutions  collect  seeds  and  offer  them 
to  each  other  on  a no-charge  basis.  Our  own 
Arboretum  sends  its  "Index  Seminum"  (another 
imposing  name,  which  freely  translated,  means 
"seed  list")  to  about  550  correspondents  in  50 
countries.  They,  in  turn,  send  their  Index  Sem- 
ina to  us.  This  article  will  be  limited  to  a dis- 
cussion of  our  distribution  of  seeds  to  other 
institutions. 

Our  Index  Seminum  of  seed  collected 
in  1985  was  sent  out  in  January,  1986  and  list- 
ed 203  items.  Fifty-one  of  these  were  collected 
from  the  wild  in  California,  Idaho,  Oregon  and 
Washington.1  The  other  153  items  were  from 
the  Arboretum  or,  in  a few  instances,  came 
from  private  gardens.  All  but  three  of  the 
items  were  woody  plants. 

Items  listed  in  the  Index  Seminum 
change  from  year  to  year  depending  on  seed 
availability  and  on  the  demand  or  lack  of  de- 
mand in  previous  years.  The  list  is  limited  to 

Collectors  were  Director-Emeritus  Brian  Mulligan 
and  his  wife  Margaret,  Arboretum  naturalist  JanPirzio- 
Biroli  and  her  husband  Giacomo,  graduate  student 
Clayton  Antieau,  A.L.  Jacobson,  E.  and  M.  Mason 
and  Ward  Horn. 


about  200  items.  We  usually  collect  more  than 
that  number  and  thus  difficult  decisions  must 
be  made  as  to  what  to  exclude.  This  will  not 
be  a problem  for  the  1987  list;  many  plants 
did  not  set  seed  because  of  unfavorable  weather 
in  1986  at  flowering  time. 

With  few  exceptions  we  offer  seeds  of 
species  only,  and  exclude  cultivars  and  hybrids, 
with  the  exception  of  an  occasional  item  which 
may  be  useful  for  breeding  purposes  and  is  not 
widely  available.  This  means  that  many  of  the 
nearly  5,000  different  kinds  of  woody  plants  in 
the  Arboretum  will  not  be  included  on  our  list. 

In  addition,  some  species  may  be  excluded  be- 
cause of  the  possibility  of  cross-pollination. 

For  example,  we  usually  do  not  list  oaks,  pines 
and  some  other  wind-pollinated  genera.  How- 
ever, in  1986  we  did  send  out  acorns  from  the 
Quercus  vacciniifolia  which  grows  in  a location 
remote  from  other  oaks  — it  was  apparently 
remote  from  the  squirrels  as  well!  We  look  for 
seed  plants  which  are  well  separated  from  close- 
ly related  species  or  which  bloom  at  different 
times. 

Through  September  30,  1986  we  had 
received  requests  ("desiderata"  is  the  technical 
term)  for  seeds  from  284  institutions  in  41 
countries.  We  had  sent  out  4,483  packets  of 
seeds  and,  had  we  not  run  out  of  seeds,  could 
have  sent  898  more.  The  following  table 
shows  the  number  of  correspondent  institutions 
in  several  countries  and  the  number  of  such 
institutions  which  requested  seeds. 


2 


UW  Arboretum  Bulletin 


Pulpy  seeds  are  soaked  in  water  in  plastic  bags  for  a week  or  two,  then  photo:  Joy  Spun- 

put  in  a blender  for  a second  to  break  down  the  pulp.  Photo  is  of  the  author. 


Request  Table 

The  first  figure  represents  the  number  of 

Arboretum  Index  Semina  sent  out  and  the  second 

figure  the  number  of  requests  received  from  each 

country. 

Argentina 

2 

1 

Australia 

5 

3 

Belgium 

13 

11 

Great  Britain 

47 

32 

France 

25 

21 

East  Germany 

9 

8 

West  Germany 

26 

19 

Iceland 

3 

2 

Hungary 

12 

7 

Japan 

10 

5 

Monaco 

1 

1 

Norway 

4 

3 

Poland 

9 

7 

Russia 

51 

30 

The  largest  request  we  received  was  for  133 
items  and  came  from  Hungary.  Forty-seven 
requests  were  for  more  than  50  items.  Eight 
requests  were  for  one  item  only,  and  seven 
asked  for  two  items.  We  sent  ten  items,  all 
wild-collected,  to  the  Royal  Botanical  Gardens 
at  Kew  and  received  a "thank-you"  note  from 
Queen  Elizabeth. 

We  are  often  asked  which  items  are  the 
most  popular.  There  is  always  a healthy 
demand  for  things  collected  from  the  wild.  For 
example,  our  1986  list  included  the  Oregon 
white  oak,  Quercus  garryana  from  two  stations 
in  Washington  and  one  in  Oregon;  many 
correspondents  wanted  seed  of  all  three.  As 
another  example,  we  had  54  requests  for  devil's 
club,  Oplopanax  horriduml  Unfortunately,  or 
fortunately  according  to  one's  view,  we  did  not 
have  enough  seed  to  fill  all  of  these  requests. 
With  regard  to  seeds  collected  in  the  Arboretum, 
records  from  the  past  five  years  show  that 


Winter  1986  (49:4) 


3 


For  three  years,  Ward  Horn  has  been  the  stalwart  leader  of  volunteers  working  on  the 
International  Seed  Exchange.  Although  the  distribution  of  seed  had  long  been  carried  out  by 
Arboretum  Foundation  members,  those  of  us  who  became  responsible  for  collecting  and  cleaning  it 
started  from  scratch  after  the  death  of  Joe  Witt  and  the  unexpected  retirement  of  Pablo  Abellera,  who 
for  many  years  performed  these  important  aspects  of  the  project. 

Ward  stepped  in  with  his  almost  daily  explorations  of  the  Arboretum  in  search  of  plants 
that  were  bearing  good  seed.  In  addition,  he  proved  to  be  very  inventive  when  it  came  to  processing 
seed.  He  purchased  a rolling  pin  and  strainers;  he  scrounged  a hair  drier  (ideal  for  blowing  away  the 
chaff)  and  a homemade  food  drier  for  initial  dehydration  of  ripe  fruits.  His  small  bonehandled 
pocket  knife  is  in  frequent  use  to  cut  open  fruits  or  seed  to  determine  their  viability. 

He  is  the  leader  of  collecting  forays  into  the  Arboretum  and  has  passed  on  to  a host  of 
fellow  workers  his  knowledge  of  the  correct  methods  for  handling  the  varied  array  of  seeds  that  we 
work  with.  Ward  and  his  cohorts  deserve  the  highest  praise  for  their  dedication  to  a project  that 
keeps  us  in  touch  with  similiar  institutions  around  the  world.  Jan  Pirzio-Biroli 


species  of  Acer,  Alnus,  Magnolia,  Sorbus  and 
Stewartia  are  much  in  demand.  However  not 
all  species  of  a genus  are  equally  popular,  for 
example  we  had  32  requests  for  Mahonia  ner- 
vosa, but  only  6 for  M.  aquifolium , our  two 
native  Oregon  grapes.  There  was  a minimum 
demand  for  some  other  items,  as  for  example  3 
for  Koelreuteria  paniculata  and  4 for  Photinia 
villosa.  In  1986  we  had  heavy  requests  for  the 
following: 

Dipteronia  sinensis 
Chamaecyparis  thyoides 
Viburnum  cassinoides 
Daphniphyllum  macropodum 
Sy  cop  sis  sinensis 
Corylopsis  sinensis 
Embothrium  coccineum 
Podocarpus  nivalis 
Sciadopitys  verticillata 
Paulownia  lilacina 

Until  1984  most  of  the  seeds  from  the 
Arboretum  were  collected,  cleaned  and  processed 
by  an  employee,  Pablo  Abellera.  Until  1983 
the  seeds  were  packaged  and  distributed  by  the 
Arboretum  Foundation  units  25  and  66.  Since 
then  this  work  has  been  done  by  other  volun- 
teers — last  year  37  volunteers  spent  627  hours 
in  collecting,  cleaning  and  distributing  seeds. 
During  the  1985  and  '86  collecting  seasons 
volunteers  met  at  10  a.m.  on  Monday  morn- 
ings. We  have  a saying,  "It  never  rains  in  the 
Arboretum  on  Monday  mornings!",  because 
this  last  year  good  weather  has  been  with  us 
consistently.  Normally  collecting  begins  in 
June  and  extends  into  early  November  with 


most  of  the  items  collected  in  September  and 
October.  Decisions  on  what  to  collect  are  made 
by  the  Arboretum  staff.  This  has  been  a 
popular  program  for  our  volunteers  since  it 
offers  a unique  way  to  become  better  acquainted 
with  the  Arboretum. 

Seed  cleaning  and  processing  begins 
about  the  first  of  October  and  continues  until 
late  in  December.  The  basic  process  is  screen- 
ing the  fruits  to  extract  the  seed.  We  use  a hair 
dryer  to  winnow  some  seed.  Fleshy  fruits  may 
be  crushed  and  allowed  to  ferment  for  a few 
days  in  order  to  break  down  the  pulp,  which  is 
then  washed  away  over  screens.  We  sometimes 
use  a kitchen  blender  (its  blades  covered  with 
plastic  tubing)  to  break  down  fleshy  fruits. 

The  cleaned  seed  is  stored  in  a refrigerator  at 
about  40e  F to  preserve  viability.  Our  Index 
Seminum  is  mailed  early  in  January  and  we 
begin  to  send  out  seeds  about  the  third  week  of 
February.  In  most  years  the  desiderata  will 
have  been  filled  by  the  end  of  April,  although  a 
scattering  of  requests  will  drift  in  for  several 
more  months.  In  each  of  the  past  five  years 
(and  probably  for  many  years  previously)  over 
40%  of  our  correspondents  have  requested  seeds. 
Some  of  the  Index  Semina  we  receive  contain 
more  than  a thousand  items.  Our  own  is 

limited  to  about  200  items  for  reasons  noted 

» 

above  and  by  cost  considerations.  However, 
even  though  it  is  a small  list  we  try  to  make  it 
a distinguished  one  which  will  reflect  credit  on 
the  Arboretum,  the  Center  for  Urban  Horti- 
culture and  the  University  of  Washington.  The 
figures  sited  above  indicate  that  we  have 
achieved  this  objective. 


4 


UW  Arboretum  Bulletin 


The  University  of  British  Columbia 
Botanical  Garden's  Plant  Introduction  Scheme 
An  Innovative  Program  for  the  Introduction 
of  New  and  Recommended  Plants 


BRUCE  MACDONALD 


Bruce  Macdonald  is  Acting  Director  of  the  University  of 
British  Columbia  Botanical  Garden,  Vancouver,  B.C. 


It  was  during  1980  that  a group  of 
nurserymen  and  landscape  architects  met  with 
Dr.  Roy  Taylor,  the  Garden's  past  Director 
(currently  Director  of  Chicago  Botanic  Garden), 
and  his  staff  to  investigate  the  feasibility  of 
formulating  a program  by  which  some  of  the 
plant  collections  within  our  different  Garden 
components  could  be  selected  for  commercial 
use.  As  the  meetings  progressed,  we  became 
increasingly  enthused  by  the  long-term  benefits 
that  a plant  introduction  program  of  new  and 
recommended  plants  could  provide  for  the  nur- 
sery and  landscape  industries  of  British  Colum- 
bia, and  subsequently  for  other  areas  within 
Canada  and  the  United  States.  Six  years  later, 
with  over  a million  plants  of  the  first  six  intro- 
ductions being  commercially  produced  by  the 
participator  nurseries,  the  program  has  exceeded 
our  original  expectations. 


The  aim  of  this  article  is  to  outline  the 
structure  of  the  program,  the  impact  it  has 
made,  and  some  brief  details  of  the  plants  cur- 
rently publicly  released. 

The  executive  committee  of  the  Plant 
Introduction  Scheme  of  the  University  of  Brit- 
ish Columbia  Botanical  Garden  (PISBG)  con- 
sists of  representatives  from  the  British  Colum- 
bia Nursery  Trades  Association  (BCNTA),  B.C. 
Society  of  Landscape  Architects  (BCSLA)  and 
Garden  staff.  Before  recommending  procedures 
for  plant  introduction,  the  committee  reviewed 
many  other  plant  introduction  programs  in 
different  areas  of  the  world  and  tried  to  establish 
the  reasons  for  their  success  and  failure.  The 
major  mistakes  which  had  been  made  were  poor 
communication  with  the  nursery  trade,  too 
many  plants  introduced  at  any  one  time,  with 
little  or  no  obligation  from  the  nursery  and 


Winter  1986  (49:4) 


5 


Mother  plants  of  Anagallis  monellii  'Pacific  Blue'  ready  for  distribution  to  the  photo:  author's 

participator  nurseries. 


landscape  industries,  too  few  plants  available  at 
the  date  of  public  release,  and  poor  promotion 
and  publicity.  Subsequently,  great  effort  has 
been  make  to  rectify  these  problems,  for  exam- 
ple, a contract  is  signed  between  the  Garden  and 
each  participator  nursery  and  only  one  to  three 
plants  will  be  introduced  each  year  through  the 
PISBG  program. 

The  initial  selection  is  made  by  a 35- 
member  invited  evaluation  panel  which  in- 
cludes representatives  from  wholesale  and  retail 
nurseries,  landscape  contractors,  and  parks 
boards.  Some  twelve  to  fifteen  plants  out  of 
the  Garden's  different  16,000  accessions  are  eval- 
uated annually.  The  final  selection  is  made  by 
a five-member  introduction  and  release  sub- 
committee. It  is  the  industry  itself  which 
makes  the  final  choice,  not  the  Botanical 
Garden. 

The  next  phase  of  the  program  is  at 
the  Botanical  Garden  nursery  where  the  staff 
propagate  and  grow-on  to  produce  some  500- 
1 ,000  one-  or  two-gallon  container  plants. 

These  stock  plants  are  then  sold  at  a premium 
price  in  lots  of  fifty  to  the  participator 


nurseries.  The  revenue  obtained  is  returned 
back  into  the  PISBG  program.  At  this  stage,  a 
contract  is  signed  for  subsequent  payment  of 
royalties  on  the  number  of  cuttings  stuck  by 
the  nurseries.  The  revenue  received  for  the 
royalties  is  also  returned  to  the  program. 

New  plants  are  registered  through  the 
Canadian  Ornamental  Plants  Foundation 
(COPF),  while  recommended  plants  are  process- 
ed through  the  Garden.  COPF,  based  in  Ontar- 
io, is  an  organization  which  registers  new  and 
improved  ornamental  plant  material  in  Canada. 
A number  of  nurseries  in  the  United  States  and 
Europe  also  belong  to  COPF. 

Plants  are  also  sent  for  testing  across 
North  America.  There  are  currently  seven  test 
sites  in  Canada,  e.g.,  in  Alberta  and  Ontario, 
while  there  are  five  in  the  United  States,  e.g., 
in  Illinois  and  California.  The  information 
received  from  the  different  geographical  loca- 
tions is  then  communicated  back  to  the  nursery 
and  landscape  industries  in  British  Columbia. 

The  program  was  very  fortunate  to 
receive  funding  from  both  the  Science  Council 
of  British  Columbia  in  Burnaby  and  the 


6 


UW  Arboretum  Bulletin 


Wm 


Devonian  Group  of  Charitable  Foundations  in 
Calgary.  This  not  only  helped  to  provide  staff, 
but  ensured  that  our  nursery  could  be  further 
expanded  to  handle  efficiently  the  production  of 
the  stock  plants. 

Publicity  and  industry  involvement 
has  been  a major  priority  of  the  PISBG  pro- 
gram. Colored  information  sheets  are  produced, 
detailing  the  culture,  nursery  propagation  and 
sales  potential  of  the  selected  introductions.  A 
colorful  picture  tag  label  has  been  designed 
which  must  be  attached  to  PISBG  plants  for 
retail  sales  — this  helps  the  public  to  identify 
the  plant  with  the  program.  We  actively  partic- 
ipate in  nursery  trade  shows  to  display  and  in- 
form the  industry  about  the  introductions. 
Besides  radio,  television  has  been  a very  useful 
asset  through  the  popular  Canadian  Broad- 
casting Company  (CBC)  garden  program  "West- 
ern Gardener",  co-hosted  by  the  Garden's  educa- 
tion coordinator,  David  Tarrant.  The  British 
Columbia  landscape  industry  has  helped  to 
ensure  that  the  plants  have  been  sited  in  high 
profile  areas  — for  example,  Expo  86  and  the 
recently  constructed  light  rapid  transit  system 
or  "Skytrain". 

The  effectiveness  of  this  promotion 
and  industry  involvement  has  meant  that  sales 
have  been  good,  with  plants  being  exported  to 
six  different  countries.  A respected  economist 
hired  by  the  Science  Council  of  British 
Columbia  found  that  the  combined  value  of 
wholesale  sales  for  the  six  introductions  in 
1985  was  just  under  $600,000,  while  a figure 
of  $1.2  million  is  estimated  for  1986  and  with 
further  increase  to  $1.9  million  for  1987.  At 
the  commencement  of  the  program  we  had  ten 
participator  nurseries  — that  number  has  risen 
to  twenty-three  at  the  present  time. 

The  following  are  brief  descriptive 
notes  on  our  first  six  introductions. 

Genista  pilosa  ’Vancouver  Gold' 

An  outstanding  ground  cover  or 
specimen  plants  given  to  the  Garden  by  the  late 
E.H.  Lohbrunner  of  Vancouver  Island.  A mass 
of  intense  golden-yellow  flowers  are  borne  dur- 
ing May  on  the  undulating  mounds  of  plants. 
Virtually  no  seeds  are  produced  and  the  dead 
flowers  are  quickly  hidden  by  the  new  growth 
that  occurs  shortly  after  flowering.  Hardy  down 
to  Zone  5. 


Container  plant  of  Viburnum  plicatum  'Summer 
Snowflake  . ( Registered  COPF  cultivar). 

photo:  author’s 


Arctostaphylos  uva-ursi  'Vancouver 
Jade' 

There  was  a defined  local  need  for  a 
clone  of  Arctostaphylos  uva-ursi  which  could 
be  propagated  readily  from  cuttings,  flowered 
well  and  was  vigorous  in  habit  with  a low  sus- 
ceptibility to  some  of  the  foliar  diseases.  This 
clone  was  selected  and  named  by  the  PISBG 
program  because  it  met  these  requirements.  The 
demand  for  this  plant  is  by  the  landscape  indus- 
try and  one  participator  nursery  is  now  produc- 
ing over  150,000  plants  annually  for  this 
particular  market.  Hardy  down  to  Zone  4. 

Rubus  calycinoides  'Emerald  Carpet' 

This  selection  was  collected  some 
9500  feet  above  sea  level  in  Taiwan  and  was 
subsequently  found  to  be  sufficiently  distinct 
from  existing  clones  to  be  given  a cultivar 
name.  It  is  a vigorous,  evergreen  ground  cover, 
with  a particularly  attractive  marbled-textured 
leaf,  that  provides  a useful  alternative  to  ivy  on 
specific  landscape  sites.  Hardy  down  to  Zone  7. 

Viburnum  plicatum  'Summer 
Snowflake' 

A very  attractive  compact  clone  named 
by  the  Garden.  A mass  of  "lace-cap"  white 
flowers  occur  in  May  with  recurring  flushes  of 
flowers  continuing  through  into  October.  The 
flowering  is  followed  by  fall  leaf  color  of  plum- 
red  shades.  This  deciduous  shrub  has  been  very 
popular  for  retail  sales.  Hardy  down  to  Zone  6. 


Winter  1986  (49:4) 


7 


Container  plant  o/Rubus  calycinoides  'Emerald  Carpet.  Registered  CORF 
cultivar.  photo:  author's 


Anagallis  monellii  'Pacific  Blue' 

This  selection  has  been  very  popular 
with  visitors  to  the  Garden.  A carpet  of  eye- 
catching gentian-blue  flowers  occurs  during 
sunny  weather  from  mid-May  through  to  early 
October.  Although  it  is  a short-term  perennial, 
it  has  performed  well  as  a bedding  plant  and  is  a 
useful  addition  for  hanging  baskets  in  sunny 
locations.  Hardy  down  to  Zone  8a. 

Microbiota  decussata  UBC  clone 
#12701 

This  was  introduced  to  the  British 
Columbia  nursery  industry  as  a recommended 
plant.  Originally  found  in  Siberia,  it  was  sub- 
sequently introduced  to  nurseries  in  Europe. 

Our  clone  was  obtained  from  the  Royal  Botan- 
ical Gardens,  Edinburgh,  Scotland,  but  was  not 
found  to  be  sufficiently  distinct  to  warrant  a 
clonal  name.  We  have  an  excellent  highway 
planting  of  400  plants  on  the  outside  perimeter 
of  the  Garden.  It  is  becoming  more  accepted  in 
British  Columbia  as  a useful  alternative  to  juni- 
pers, particularly  for  shipping  to  the  prairies  of 
eastern  Canada.  Hardy  down  to  Zone  2. 

The  committee  is  reviewing  ideas  and 
projections  to  ensure  the  future  success  of  the 
PISBG  program.  There  are  sufficient  plants  for 
introduction  during  the  next  three  years  and 
work  is  being  undertaken  to  select  others.  Var- 
ious species  are  being  propagated  at  the  nursery 
to  evaluate  their  performance  as  suitable  con- 
tainer-grown plants  for  a typical  nursery 
production  schedule.  Plants  which  grow  well 


in  the  Garden  could  well  present  difficulties  in 
production  — one  example  we  experienced  was 
with  a weeping  form  of  Paxistima  myrsinites 
which  is  susceptible  to  Phytophthora  and  Py- 
thium  when  overhead  irrigation  was  used. 

We  have  an  open  ground  nursery  eval- 
uation and  display  area  where  some  230  plants 
are  established  for  clonal  selection  and  eval- 
uation by  the  nursery  and  landscape  industry. 
This  area  is  also  used  to  show  good  introduc- 
tions from  other  parts  of  the  world  which  local 
nurseries  should  consider  for  inclusion  in  their 
catalogues.  Some  breeding  work  is  being 
initiated  — for  example,  Dr.  Gerald  Straley,  the 
Garden  research  scientist  and  taxonomist,  is 
working  with  some  specific  perennial  plants, 
e.g.,  Meconopsis,  Schizostylis  and  Alstroe- 
meria  — he  is  projecting  the  breeding  of  a 
hardy  compact  form  of  the  latter. 

In  conclusion,  we  hope  that  the 
PISBG  program  will  encourage  other  botanical 
gardens  and  arboreta  to  use  their  collections  in  a 
similar  manner.  We  are  pleased  that  the  Royal 
Botanical  Garden,  Hamilton,  Ontario,  and  the 
Chicago  Botanical  Garden  have  now  started  sim- 
ilar programs.  Considerable  interest  has  been 
stimulated  in  Washington  State,  Oregon  and 
North  Carolina.  We  will  always  be  very  pleas- 
ed to  share  our  experiences. 

Visitors  are  always  welcome  to  the 
Garden  where  many  of  our  introductions, 
identified  by  a distinctive  blue  label,  are  located 
in  the  different  components.  Opening  hours  for 
the  Garden  can  be  obtained  by  phoning  (604) 
228-3928  or  (604)  228-4208. 


8 


UW  Arboretum  Bulletin 


In  The  Arboretum 


For  the  past  month.  Grounds  Super- 
visor, Richard  Hart,  has  been  recovering  at 
home  from  quadruple-bypass  heart  surgery. 

Last  report  is  that  he  is  making  rapid  progress, 
walking  two  miles  or  more  each  day.  We 
expect  Dick's  return  in  early  1987.  Meanwhile, 
Phil  Renfrow  is  doing  a great  job  as  acting 
supervisor. 

Two  new  faces  appeared  in  the  Visitors 
Center  in  October.  We  welcome  Laurence  A. 
Smith,  "Smitty",  a retired  pipefitter/merchant 
engineer,  who  now  works  as  part-time 
custodian  here,  as  well  as  at  the  Center  for 
Urban  Horticulture.  The  new  program  assistant 
for  the  Visitors  Center,  replacing  Eric  Nelson, 
is  Dan  Dewald.  Dan,  his  wife  and  two  chil- 
dren, recently  moved  to  Seattle  from  Idaho.  He 
comes  from  a forestry  and  wildlife  management 
background.  Dan  says  he  is  finding  his  new 
job  working  with  all  three  organizational 
bodies  of  the  Arboretum:  the  City,  the  Uni- 
versity, and  the  Foundation  both  interesting  and 
challenging. 

The  bulk  of  work  performed  by  the 
Arboretum  grounds  crew  has  involved  reno- 
vation of  various  areas  by  pruning  or  removal 
of  overgrown  and  invasive  native  species.  Take 
a look  at  the  newly  exposed  rockery  along  Lake 
Washington  Boulevard  across  from  the  Emper- 
ors' Gate  to  the  Japanese  Garden.  This  project, 
spearheaded  by  Phil  Renfrow  and  assisted  by 
Bob  Hilzinger,  has  brought  delight  to  those 
onlookers  who  are  (re)discovering  the  existence 
of  this  landscape  feature.  Future  plans  are  in 
the  works  to  highlight  this  area  with  appro- 
priate new  plantings.  Not  far  from  the  rockery, 
a complete  renovation  of  the  southeastern-most 
bed  of  Azalea  Way  has  been  undertaken.  John 
Hushagen  along  with  Phil  Renfrow  detail- 
pruned  the  larger  species,  such  as  Acer 
monspessulanum.  David  Zuckerman  and  Bob 
Hilzinger  did  a fine  job  reshaping  the  azaleas 
and  other  shrub  materials  in  this  bed  as  well  as 
in  other  beds  farther  north  along  Azalea  Way. 


Fred  Mauch  has  been  concentrating  on  pruning 
out  the  native  materials  south  of  the  Look-out 
Some  of  the  unusual  conifer  specimens  in  addi- 
tion to  Daphniphyllum  macropodum  are  now 
exposed  to  a better  view.  Thanks  are  extended 
to  Paul  Wiltberger,  who  donated  a day's  work  to 
the  Arboretum.  Assisted  by  David  Zuckerman, 
Paul's  service  included  pruning  of  Douglas  fir 
trees  that  were  impacting  the  Stewartia  area  of 
the  Camellia  section.  All  of  these  projects 
have  brought  about  an  improvement  to  the 
Arboretum's  appearance. 

The  interior  of  the  Visitors'  Center  has 
taken  on  a new  look  as  well  with  the  recent 
addition  of  unusal  plants  brought  over  from  the 
Arboretum's  greenhouse  by  Dean  Powell.  Dean 
is  happy  that  some  of  the  more  interesting 
plants  such  as  the  Dioon  edule  and  the  Solandra 
maxima  have  been  accepted  into  this  new 
home  where  all  Arboretum  visitors  may  appre- 
ciate them.  The  greenhouses  are  close  to  being 
empty  now  in  order  that  renovation  can  take 
place.  By  the  way,  the  oldest  member  to  leave 
the  greenhouse  was  a 47-year  old  Pyrostegia 
venusta 

Dean  also  cleared  out  a new  nursery 
bed  just  north  of  the  existing  ones  with  the 
assistance  of  Fred  Hoyte  and  his  tractor  from 
CUH.  This  has  allowed  me  to  begin  the  vast 
movement  of  plants  from  coldframes  to  lath 
beds  or  nursery  area.  The  result  is  that  the  lids 
have  been  placed  on  top  of  the  coldframes, 
winterizing  them.  Now  with  my  wrist  in  a cast 
for  six  weeks,  I've  turned  my  efforts  towards 
inventorying  the  lath  house  along  with  Jan 
Pirzio-Biroli. 

Looking  ahead  to  winter,  we  all  hope 
that  the  excessive  fall  rains  do  not  continue, 
otherwise  the  trails  — especially  Azalea  Way 
— will  become  impassable  without  use  of  high 
rubber  boots  or  amphibious  vehicles. 

Barbara  Engler 
Gardener  in  the 
Arboretum 


Winter  1986  (49:4) 


9 


Small  British  Gardens 
Some  Personal  Favorites 


DENNIS  THOMPSON 


To  the  British  SMALL  and  GARDEN 
are  almost  contradictory  terms.  They  seem  to 
believe  anything  under  10  acres  is  a small 
garden.  Definitely,  any  garden  under  three  acres 
is  small.  The  American  small,  MY  small,  is  a 
garden  that  would  fit  on  a Seattle  lot.  For  the 
British  garden  enthusiast,  this  is  nearing 
minute.  The  gardens  I present  in  this  article  are 
not  ones  that  appear  in  the  tour  guides,  yet 
many  are  impressive,  unrecognized  national 
treasures.  They  fall  into  almost  every 
gardening  category:  public  gardens,  commercial 
gardens  and  private  gardens. 

Public  Gardens 

Old  London  has  many  tiny  landscapes 
in  hidden  comers.  Several  of  my  favorites  are 
in  conjunctions  with  churches  designed  by 
Christopher  Wren,  architect  for  53  parish 
churches  in  the  area  after  the  Great  Fire  in  1666 
One  such  is  a small  courtyard  of  raised  beds  at 
St.  Anne  and  St.  Agnes  which  adjoins  the 
crumbling  remains  of  the  city's  outer  wall. 

The  carefully  planted  beds  meld  into  the 
wildlings  scrambling  in  the  old  wall.  Annual 
bedding  plants  blend  into  butterfly-bush, 
kenilworth  ivy,  English  ivy,  wallflowers. 


plantains  and  ferns.  Several  other  Wren 
churches  have  sheltered  churchyards  or  entries. 
Trees  and  shrubs,  green  elegance  against  old 
stonework;  noontime  parks  where  area  workers 
eat  quiet  lunches. 

The  most  exciting  small  garden  in  Old 
London  is  a small  park  built  around  a Wren 
church  that  did  not  survive  the  blitz  of  World 
War  II.  The  tower  and  steeple  of  St.  Dunstan- 
in-the-East  created  furor  from  the  beginning. 
Radical  design  variations  brought  prophecy  of 
impending  doom.  In  a biography  of  Wren 
written  in  1920  architectural  critic,  Lawrence 
Weaver,  notes: 

The  tower  of  St.  Dunstan-in-the-East  is  unique 
for  its  date,  and  of  quite  extraordinary  interest: 
any  idea  of  removing  it  should  be  resisted  with 
vehemence.  But  why  anyone  should  be  the  least 
concerned  with  the  disappearance  of  the  body  of 
the  the  church  is  known  only  to  those  who 
detect  beauty  in  the  Gothic  adventures  of 
Mssrs.  Laing  and  Tite  in  the  Year  1810. 

What  the  author  was  unable  to  accomplish  with 
his  prose  in  1920,  the  Germans  accomplished 

1 Weaver,  Lawrence.  Sir  Christopher  Wren:Scientist, 
Scholar  and  Architect.  Offices  of  "Country  Life", 
London,  1923. 


10 


UW  Arboretum  Bulletin 


St.  Dunstan-in-the-East..  photo:  author's 


in  the  early  1940's.  The  tower  and  walls  were 
left  standing  but  the  interior  was  gutted.  Old 
London  no  longer  needed  "twenty-eight 
churches. ..within  the  square  mile  of  the  City", 
and  chose  not  to  rebuild  the  chapel.  In  the 
1970's  a designer  with  the  City  conceived  an 
award-winning  plan  for  the  old  structure.  The 
tower  was  turned  into  a museum  and  the  body 
of  the  church  into  a park. 

My  first  glimpse  of  the  garden  was  of 
a large  blue  Ceanothus  impressus  jutting 


through  the  stone  arches  of  an  empty  Gothic 
window  frame.  It  is  hard  to  describe  the 
impact.  Romantic.  Breath-taking.  Wrought 
iron  gates  open  into  the  small,  tree-sheltered 
north  yard.  New  office  buildings  soar  over  the 
churchyard  making  the  area  seem  even  smaller. 
Immediately  next  to  the  stone  walls  is  an  area 
paved  with  round  cobbles  in  cement  with  a 
narrow  fringe  of  bracken  frothing  from  a chink 
between  wall  and  paving.  A path  bends  as  it 
enters  the  chapel  through  an  old  door  arch. 


Winter  1986  (49:4) 


11 


Perennial  summer  phlox.  Phlox  paniculata. 

Inside  the  bombed-out  church  is  a somewhat 
anachronistic  lane  that  winds  through  a small 

cr 

lawn  with  bedding  plants  and  leads  to  a cobbled 
seating  area  with  a fountain.  The  garden  is  de- 
signed to  be  viewed  from  this  seating  area  and 
from  the  small  paths  that  meander  around  the 
walls  and  through  arches  at  both  ends  of  the 
chapel.  This  area  is  planted  with  an  amazing 
variety  of  vines  that  cling  to  ruined  walls  and 
drape  over  and  tangle  through  the  many  win- 
dows. Clematis,  Hydrangea.  Ampelopsis, 
Parthenocissus , Campsis,  Lonicera,  Jasminum, 
Schizandra,  Polygonum,  Rhodochiton,  Vitis 
and  Rosa  mingle  in  almost  indistinguishable 
confusion;  distinct  only  in  bloom.  Other 
climbers  exhibit  their  uniqueness  by  extra- 
ordinary foliage  like  the  lusty  leaves  of  Schizo- 
phragma  hydrangeoides  and  the  opulent,  velvety 
green-black  dissected  leaves  of  Parthenocissus 
henryana  w ith  their  silver  veins  and  flashes  of 
pink.  The  warm  gray  stone  w alls  provide  a 
variety  of  exposures  and  backgrounds.  For  a 
melange  of  material,  the  overall  effect  is 
amazingly  unified.  Perhaps  it  is  scale  and 
intimacy  that  allows  the  success  with  so  much 
variety.  Birds  as  well  as  people  seem  attracted 
to  the  site,  an  oasis  in  an  urban  desert. 

Commercial  Gardens 

There  are  a number  of  commercial 
businesses  that  have  pleasant  small  gardens. 
Nurseries  frequently  include  display  gardens  and 
two  small  nurseries  that  have  interesting  little 


gardens  are  County  Park  Nursery  at  Hornchurch 
east  of  London  and  Edrom  Nursery  in  Scotland. 

County  Park  is  entered  from  a street 
w hich  gives  no  hint  that  either  nursery  or  gar- 
den exist.  Graham  Hutchins,  the  proprietor, 
has  a mania  for  New  Zealand  plants.  Stepping 
through  the  gate  is  like  entering  the  Twilight 
Zone.  The  grotesqueries  of  the  plant  world 
seem  to  have  gathered  for  a meeting.  The  leaf- 
less Clematis  afoliata  looks  like  a climbing 
Scotch  broom.  The  leafless,  brown-felt  stems 
of  Chordospartium  stevensonii  growing  in  a 
raised  bed  resembles  a Daliesque  weeping  wil- 
low. Pots  of  Coprosma  look  like  baby's-tears 
under  vegetable  marbles.  Beds,  shelves  and 
houses  are  filled  w ith  similar  rarities — Hebe, 
Helichrysum,  Aciphylla,  Carex,  Cotula  and 
Raoulia.  There  are  examples  of  award-winning 
miniatures  (barely  portable)  exhibited  at  the 
Chelsea  Flower  Show.  Mr.  Hutchins  has  devel- 
oped a variation  on  hypertufa  (concrete-peat 
containers)  to  create  tall,  totem-like  peatbeds 
for  acid  loving  plants. 

Edrom  Nursery  is  much  more  tradition- 
al. The  display  garden  is  composed  of  stone 
troughs  located  behind  the  sales  area.  It  con- 
sists of  a wide  variety  of  alpines,  for  sale  in 
frames,  w hich  have  been  grown  to  perfection  in 
the  sinks.  Large  troughs  of  select  Gentiana, 
Primula,  Dianthus,  Phlox.  Lewisia,  Androsace 
and  Saxifraga  make  barbaric  displays,  each  in 
its  season. 

Other  commercial  ventures  with 
gardens  include  hotels  and  crafts  shops.  The 
Swan  in  Lavenham  is  an  excellent  example  of 
gardens  as  outdoor  rooms.  The  hotel  is  assem- 
bled from  four  15th  century  housed  joined 
together  in  the  17th  century.  It  includes  a small 
interior  courtyard  and  a comfortable  patio  gar- 
den as  a portion  of  the  bar.  The  gardens  do  not 
contain  unusual  materials,  but  these  green 
rooms  enhance  the  charm  of  the  hotel.  The 
quietness  of  the  gardens  is  a marvelous  comple- 
ment to  the  half-timbered  and  plaster  residence. 

Private  Gardens 

It  is  difficult  to  choose  among  small 
private  gardens,  but  those  of  four  gardening 
families  would  always  make  my  list  of  favor- 
ites, no  matter  what  larger  gardens  could  be 
added.  They  are  the  gardens  of  the  Becketts,  the 
Leeds,  the  Maules  and  the  Fishers. 

Kenneth  Beckett's  home  in  King's 


12 


UW  Arboretum  Bulletin 


Alpine  house,  rock  wall  and  border  in  Mrs.  Maule's  garden. 


photo:  B.O.  Mulligan 


Lynn,  Norfolk,  is  a 2-story  warm  brick  with  a 
very  simple  front  entry  of  tucked  flowers.  The 
low  beam  in  the  old  house  necessitates  an 
occational  duck.  The  Dickensian  book-lined 
library /workroom  opens  through  French  doors 
onto  a crazy-paved,  sunken  patio  with  planted 
urns  and  cracks.  Great  tumbling  shrubbery 
rolls  across  the  garden  to  the  hedge  which 
allows  only  a glimpse  of  the  flint  church  in 
back.  A small  greenhouse  at  the  side  of  the  lot 
holds  collected  treasures  — blue  Tropaeoleum 
and  rare  bulbs.  The  garden’s  fauna  include 
Kenneth’s  son's  guinea  pigs.  Sitting  in  the 
library,  looking  into  the  garden  creates  the 
warm  feeling  of  being  wrapped  in  peaceful, 
protective  green. 

Chestnuts  is  the  home  of  Jane  and 
Rodney  Leeds  in  Sudbury,  Suffolk.  The  view' 
from  the  road  through  a tall  shrub  border  pre- 
sents a comer  view  of  the  thatch  roof  and  cream 
stucco  reminiscent  of  a Helen  Allingham’s 
painting.  The  lawrn  path  winds  between  serpen- 
tine beds  and  shrubs,  perennials  and  alpines 
which  grow  in  front  of  the  house.  The  Leeds 
cultivate,  in  the  ground  and  in  containers,  a 
wide  variety  of  plants  from  seeds.  At  the  far 
end  of  the  bouse  is  a small  greenhouse  and 


paved  patio  filled  with  perennials  in  containers 
and  troughs  of  alpines.  The  rear  garden  is  the 
largest  and  includes  a sunny  lawn  with  fruit 
trees.  It  is  surrounded  by  beds  including  Marta- 
gon  lilies  and  Cardiocrinums.  A large  lattice, 
partially  covered  with  vines,  screens  the  vege- 
table garden  and  more  perennials.  A cluster  of 
cold  frames  just  outside  the  vegetable  garden 
protects  seedlings  and  tender  perennials.  Behind 
the  frames,  a large  compost  pile  is  bed  to  one 
of  the  garden  cats.  This  garden,  as  with  many 
British  gardens,  is  ruled  and  guarded  by  a rank 
of  garden  cats.  They  are  very  polite,  enticing 
people  about  the  garden  for  appreciation  and 
photos.  Chestnuts  is  among  the  best  of  the 
miniaturized  "estates". 

Sheila  Maule's  Hannahfield  Quarry 
Home  does  not  technically  fit  into  this  group  of 
gardens.  It  is  in  an  old  five  acre  stone  quarry 
just  outside  of  Edinburgh,  but  less  than  half  of 
the  area  is  under  cultivation;  the  rest  is  segre- 
gated by  rabbit  fencing  to  keep  these  marauders 
back.  I justify  its  inclusion  by  the  fact  that 
there  was  no  soil  in  the  area  when  the  Maules' 
began  working  with  the  garden.  Sheila  hauled 
all  of  the  soil  into  the  area  in  the  "boot" 
of  an  old  car.  "Ruined  the  coupe",  she  always 


Winter  1986  (49:4) 


13 


photo -.author's 


Eleanor  Fisher's  garden  Colthurst. 

giggles.  Much  of  the  area  is  paved  with  stone 
in  order  to  hold  enough  soil  in  to  be  able  to 
garden.  The  lawn  sits  on  bare  inches  of  soil 
and  berms  appear  in  areas  where  deeper  roots 
had  to  be  accommodated. 

The  wood  frame  cottage,  an  anomaly 
amid  the  stone  and  plaster  of  Scotland,  faces  a 
one  acre  pond  (deeper  quarry  hole)  and  steep 
cliffs  of  the  outer  quarry  wall.  The  cracks  in 
the  stone  have  been  planted  with  alpines  and  the 
rock  chip  talus  with  perennials.  Masses  of 
native  primroses  and  naturalized  daffodils  wel- 
come spring.  Raised  bulb  frames  shelter  plants 
collected  in  Spain,  North  Africa  and  the  Near 
East.  Cold  frames  and  alpine  houses  protect 
buns  and  polesters  from  around  the  world  as 
well  as  masses  of  new  seedlings.  Among  the 
naturalized  plants  in  the  garden  are  Asiatic  and 
alpine  Primula , Kirengoshoma,  Morisia, 
Tropaeolum  polyphyllum , Japanese  orchids, 
Trillium,  Lewisia  and  many  other  small  exo- 
tics. Sheila  is  one  of  those  growers  who  seem 
able  to  manage  almost  anything  without  spe- 
cialized modem  equipment.  She  is  the  only 
person  I know  to  have  ever  grown  our  Saxif- 
raga  tolmiei.  Her  propagation  chamber  for 


cuttings  is  an  old  traveling  trunk,  half  filled 
with  sand  and  covered  with  a windshield  glass. 
No  heat.  No  mist.  Only  skill.  The  side  patio 
is  primarily  a display  area  for  alpine  troughs. 

In  front  of  the  house  is  a table  made  of  an  old 
stone  grinding  wheel,  and  besides  the  small 
formal  pool  is  a finial  from  John's  ancestral 
home  which  serves  as  garden  sculpture.  A 
gardener’s  garden,  the  effects  of  loving  care  are 
obvious.  As  a fiftieth  anniversary  gift,  John 
gave  Sheila  another  200  feet  of  rabbit  fencing! 

Colthurst  is  the  second  garden  of 
Eleanor  Fisher.  Besides  caring  for  two  teenage 
sons  and  a husband,  plus  volunteering  weekly 
at  the  Harlow  Car  Botanic  Garden,  she  main- 
tains one  garden  at  home  and  a second  at  their 
country  house.  The  latter  was  converted  from 
the  old  stables  of  the  existing  estate,  thus  the 
name  colthurst.  The  stables  and  the  adjoining 
walled  kitchen  garden  have  been  modified  as  a 
unit  to  provide  house  and  garden.  The  house  is 
a mellow  stone  and  wraps  around  two  sides  of 
the  garden.  Eleanor  is  known  as  a master 
plantswoman,  specializing  in  perennials  and 
companion  plants.  The  color  and  form 
combinations  she  has  assembled  are  breath- 


14 


UW  Arboretum  Bulletin 


Colthurst,  green  and  white  color  combination.  photo:  author's 


taking.  She  plans  the  garden  to  progess 
through  the  seasons  with  new  color  schemes 
against  a background  planting.  Among  my 
favorite  groupings  are  Otto  Luyken  laurel  in 
bloom  with  white  lily-flowered  tulips.  Mid- 
night purple  and  white  Rembrandt  tulips  and 
purple  wallflowers  growing  through  purple- 
leaved sage  produce  a striking  package,  as  do 
the  soft  pink  peonies  and  shrub  roses.  When  it 
was  time  to  move  the  greenhouse  out  of  the  en- 
closed garden,  the  foundation  was  not  easily 
disassembled,  so  the  door  was  sealed  up  and  the 
foundation  became  a raised  garden  pool.  Few 


gardens,  no  matter  how  large,  have  the  stun- 
ning staging  or  effective  plant  groupings  of 
Colthurst. 

It  is  difficult  not  to  continue  on, 
considering  the  "slightly  larger"  small  gar- 
dens; Jenny  Robinson's  Chequers , Dily 
Davies'  Greyrigg , Jean  and  Jack  Elliot's 
Coldham,  Kenneth  Armistead  and  Jim  Ellis' 
Bell  Cottage  and  numerous  others.  But  gar- 
dens are  like  pictures  of  grandchildren  and 
summer  vacations  — best  presented  in  small 
doses  in  hopes  of  another  invitation! 


Winter  1986  (49:4) 


15 


Gardens  of  the  Welsh  Border  Country 


SUE  BUCKLES 


Sue  Buckles  is  a gardener  on  the  grounds  of  Childrens'  Hospital  and 
Medical  Center.  As  one  of  a crew  of  five,  she  is  involved  in 
all  aspects  of  the  garden's  maintenance , but  is  particularly  interested 
in  perennials. 


The  Powis  Castle  Gardens  have  been 
the  subject  of  talks  I have  given  since  returning 
from  a three  month  working  period  there  in 
1984.  A group  from  the  Northwest  visited  the 
gardens  last  year,  as  part  of  a garden  tour  led  by 
city  arborist  Marvin  Black,  so  it  is  one  Nation- 
al Trust  garden  that  is  familiar  to  many  Arbor- 
etum Bulletin  readers. 

Rather  than  describe  Powis  again,  I 
would  like  to  describe  some  its  workings,  and 
to  suggest  other  gardens  that  can  be  seen  in  the 
area  of  England's  western  counties  and  the  mid- 
Welsh  border  country  in  which  Powis  stands. 
Powis  castle  is  a suitable  central  point  for  any 
tour,  standing  high  on  its  rocky  ridge,  and  over- 
looking the  town  of  Welshpool  in  the  Welsh 
county  of  Powys. 

Practices  in  propagation  and  main- 
tenance carried  out  at  Powis  may  be  of  interest 
to  gardeners  here.  No  irrigation  is  available  in 
the  gardens,  and  the  many  large  stone  ums  plan- 
ted with  annuals  are  watered  by  hand  only  occa- 
sionally. The  beds,  therefore,  are  mulched 
heavily  in  spring  with  compost  which  contains 
only  partially  decomposed  organic  matter 
(small  sticks,  leaves,  pieces  of  bark,  etc.). 


Their  compost  comes  from  large  compost 
piles,  about  15  x 20  feet,  into  which  is  thrown 
all  garden  clippings,  leaves,  straw,  loam  and 
manure,  but  no  weeds.  This  compost  is  not 
used  for  potting  soil,  which  comes  from  ster- 
ilized loam,  peat  and  sand.  The  potting  soil 
varies  in  the  balance  of  its  components  accord- 
ing to  need.  There  are  set  proportions  for  cut- 
tings, seeding,  potting  on  and  for  the  contain- 
ers, which  are  lined  with  a coarse  peat  and  in- 
clude a great  deal  of  coarse  humus  matter, 
which  helps  to  retain  water  over  long  periods. 

The  perennial  borders  have  many  new 
plants  put  in  every  year.  I suppose  these  would 
be  called  bedding  plants  as  many  are  tender  and 
have  been  propagated  by  cuttings  and  held  over 
the  winter  in  the  greenhouse.  While  I was 
there  many  new  plants  were  used  to  fill  new 
beds  which  had  been  made  the  previous  year  and 
prepared  for  the  spring  planting.  The  old  estab- 
lished beds  are  filled  with  new  cuttings  and  divi- 
sions from  the  established  beds  plants.  Annual 
cuttings  are  taken  from  plants  such  as  Cheiran- 
thus  'Wenlock  Beauty'  and  Erysimum  'Bowles 
Mauve',  Anthemis  cupaniana,  Chrysanthemum , 
Helianthemum,  Achillea  and  Dianthus.  The 


16 


UW  Arboretum  Bulletin 


The  Ideal  English  Gardener 

The  head  gardener  at  Powis  Castle  is  Mr.  Jimmy  Hancock.  He  has  just  been  awarded  the 
Royal  Horticultural  Society  Associateship  of  Honour,  given  to  "persons  who  have  rendered 
distinguished  service  to  horticulture  in  the  course  of  their  employment."  This  is  a well-deserved  and 
appropriate  award.  Mr.  Hancock  has  a permanent  staff  of  about  five,  and  a very  large  garden  to 
maintain.  His  main  activities  are  carried  out  in  the  greenhouses  and  borders,  he  propagates  plants 
for  the  beds  and  containers  as  well  as  for  the  popular  plant  sale  held  every  day  the  garden  is  open. 

He  has  an  under-gardener  whom  he  has  trained  to  be  in  charge  of  the  greenhouse  area.  In  the  area  of 
the  glasshouses  are  various  sheds  and  a large  polythene  covered  tunnel  which  gives  frost  protection 
to  container  plants.  Mr.  Hancock  is  often  to  be  seen  there  late  at  night,  working  at  the  propagation 
bench  with  a flashlight  fixed  above  his  head.  He  was  there  when  I arrived  at  Powis,  and  was  taken 
to  the  greenhouses  to  meet  him,  and  he  was  there  when  I left.  I expect  to  find  him  there  again  when 
I return  on  a visit  this  year.  His  large  family  would  know  where  to  find  him  and  would  send  down 
the  youngest  boy  to  tell  him,  "Dad,  your  supper's  ready".  Fifteen  minutes  later  the  next  youngest 
would  come, "Dad,  Mum  says  you've  got  to  come  for  your  supper".  Finally,  the  eldest  daughter,  as 
she  passes  by  on  her  way  out-  "Dad,  you've  missed  your  supper,  G'bye." 

Jimmy  has  various  students  from  horticultural  colleges  sent  to  do  their  time  as  working 
apprentices.  Then  there  are  young  people  working  for  a year  on  one  of  the  government  training 
schemes  for  unemployed  youth,  and  older  people  on  similar  re-training  programs.  They  have  to 
attend  classes  one  day  a week  at  the  nearest  community  college.  To  all  of  them,  skilled  or 
unskilled,  keen  or  dispirited,  bright  or  not  so  bright,  Jimmy  encourages,  teaches,  helps,  kids  along, 
inspires  those  who  have  found  gardening  to  be  a sudden  wonderful  new  occupation. 

I was  included  in  this  grand  mixture,  put  to  work  straight  away,  and  offered  ready  answers 
to  all  my  questions.  Those  who  know  something  of  the  chauvinistic  nature  of  British  head 
gardeners,  and  the  conservative  character  of  the  horticultural  profession,  will  realize  that  Jimmy's 
approach  is  rare  and  valuable  in  one  who  employs  so  many  young  gardeners. 


tender  plants  included  many  of  the  Salvias  — 

S.  patens , S.  hians , S.  uliginosa  and  S.farin- 
acea , Mimulus  glutinosus,  M.  luteus  and  M. 
guttatus,  Felicia  amelloides,  Osteospermum , 
Convolvulus  cneorum , Jasminum  primulinum 
and  Solanum  jasminoides.  Plants  which  pro- 
vide the  beddings  familiar  to  us  here  are  used  in 
groupings  and  for  containers  — Nicotiana, 
Pelargonium,  Fuchsia  and  Helichrysum. 

The  plants  at  Powis  are  extremely 
varied.  Half-hardy  and  even  more  tender  spe- 
cies can  be  used  because  the  gardens  are  protect- 
ed. They  face,  on  the  whole,  south-east,  and 
are  situated  on  a hill  from  which  the  frost  drops 
away.  Not  so  the  gardens  at  Burford  House, 
attached  to  John  Treasure's  nursery  in  Tenbury 
Wells,  an  hour's  drive  from  Powis. 

The  gardens  at  Burford  House  sit  in  the 
frost  hollow  of  a river  valley  and  are  frost  free 
for  only  3 or  4 months  of  the  year.  Here  you 
may  see  unusual  and  adventurous  gardening. 


The  national  collection  of  Clematis  is  here,  and 
the  visitor  sees  this  lovely  vine  used  in  many 
ways  — threading  through  shrubs  (dark  red 
Clematis  'Niobe'  in  variegated  dogwood)  and 
carpeting  the  ground  between  perennials,  the 
garden  contains  many  old  roses,  and  I found 
particularly  interesting  the  use  of  stream-side 
plants  and  moisture  lovers.  Varieties  of  wil- 
lows line  the  stream  on  the  far  side  of  the  gar- 
den and  give  a background  to  Thalictrum , 
Rheum  and  Primula. 

Burford  House  is  a privately  owned 
garden,  open  to  the  public  most  afternoons,  but 
the  attached  nursery  is  open  all  day  (with  the 
ubiquitous  tea-room!)  Unfortunately,  Amer- 
icans cannot  take  plants  back  to  the  States 
without  a good  deal  of  trouble,  but  the  nursery 
is  still  a wonderful  place  for  looking  and  learn- 
ing. It  can  get  very  crowded,  especially  on 
weekends  — mornings  are  best,  and  then  one 
can  spend  the  afternoon  in  the  garden.  Most 


Winter  1986  (49:4) 


17 


Above:  Helichrysum 
Right:  Anthriscus 

other  gardens  in  the  area  are  only  open  in  the 
afternoon  as  well,  making  it  difficult  to  com- 
bine several  visits  in  one  day.  However  the 
surrounding  countryside  is  beautiful.  There  are 
many  areas  which  deserve  a walking  tour  rather 
than  a driving  through  and  many  mornings  can 
be  spent  walking  the  lanes  or  across  low  hills. 

Another  hour  from  Powis,  half  an 
hour  from  Burford  House,  is  the  lovely  garden 
at  Hergest  Croft  at  Kington,  Herefordshire, 
which  belongs  to  the  Banks  family.  This  is 
also  a private  garden,  open  in  the  afternoons, 
and  best  seen  in  spring  for  there  are  many  rhodo- 
dendrons and  azaleas.  Here  are  the  national  col- 
lections of  maples  and  birches,  and  with  these 
are  many  other  beautiful  trees. 

Besides  these  three  gardens,  which  pro- 
vide a tremendously  wide  range  of  styles  and 
plants,  there  are  cottage  gardens,  scenic  views, 
and  wild  flowers  in  the  hedgerows  all  around 
Powis  and  Hergest  Croft . Halfway  between 
them  is  a mediaeval  manor  house,  Stokesay, 
worth  a visit  if  only  for  the  wild  flowers  grow- 
ing in  the  moat  that  surrounds  the  fortified 


house.  These  flowers  have  been  encouraged, 
judiciously  thinned  and  weeded  by  the  custo- 
dian, a gardener.  Here  you  can  see  the  master- 
wort,  Astrantia  major , which  is  native  to 
Britain  and  Europe  but  very  rare  now  in  the 
former.  In  the  lanes  about  Powis  can  be  found 
the  lovely  cow  parsley,  Anthriscus  sylvestris , 
Smyrnium  olusatrum  or  Alexanders,  not  often 
seen  inland,  and  Aconitum  anglicum , also  rare- 
ly seen  now  as  a true  native.  Around  Hergest 
Croft,  in  amongst  the  grasses  of  the  ditches  one 
can  see  Squinancywort  ( Asperula  cynanchica  ) 
and  the  yellow  pimpernel  ( Lysimachia 
nemorum). 

There  are  as  many  good  things  to  see 
on  the  northern  and  western  sides  of  Powis. 
Chirk  Castle  has  a good  garden,  and  Erddig  a 
fascinating  conservation  project  — lam  just 
giving  you  a good  start.  Stay  in  the  little  town 
of  Welshpool,  by  Powis,  or  Kington,  by 
Hergest  Croft,  and  you  will  be  able  to  say  to 
yourself,  "If  it's  Tuesday,  this  must  be  the 
same  place  I was  in  yesterday,  and  I'll  still  be 
here  tomorrow  — Joy!" 


18 


UW  Arboretum  Bulletin 


Top:  View  from  RA.  Banks'  house.  Bottom:  Mr.  John  Treasure's  garden.  photos:  B.O.  Mulligan 


Winter  1986  (49:4) 


19 


Wave  Hill 


VIRGINIA  MORREL 


On  a visit  to  New  York  City  we 
expect  to  be  caught  up  in  the  hustle  and  bustle 
of  this  huge  city's  life,  and  so  need  even  more 
the  sanctuary  of  a delightful  and  alluring  park 
away  from  the  crowds  and  noise.  One  such 
place  is  Wave  Hill  in  the  Riverside  section  of 
the  Bronx,  overlooking  the  Hudson  River  and 
the  Palisades.  It  was  an  estate  owned  by 
George  W.  Perkins,  whose  widow  gave  twenty- 
eight  acres  and  two  mansions  to  the  city  of 
New  York  for  a city  park  and  cultural  center  in 
1960.  The  garden  is  comprised  of  fifteen  acres, 
and  eighteen  acres  remain  wooded.  Former  resi- 
dents of  Wave  Hill  include  Mark  Twain  and 
Arturo  Toscanini. 

Shortly  after  Mr.  Perkins  bought  the 
property  in  1903  he  hired  Albert  Villard,  a 
royal  landscape  gardener  from  Vienna  to  design 
and  develop  a garden.  Today  an  innovative  and 
imaginative  series  of  gardens  have  been  created 
within  the  basic  framework  of  the  original 
garden  by  Marco  Polo  Stufano,  Director  of 
Horticulture,  and  John  Nally,  Curator,  and  their 
staff.  Upon  arriving  at  the  gate  you  step  back 
in  time  to  a Flower  Garden  filled  with  flowers 
popular  in  1910  and  1920.  There  are  numerous 
dianthus,  peonies,  clematis,  iris,  pulmonarias, 
lilies  and  artemisias,  among  others. 

In  front  of  the  conservatory  is  a garden 
of  all  gray  foliage  plants,  said  to  be  the  largest 


collection  of  gray  plants  in  the  eastern  United 
States.  One  greenhouses  is  filled  with  a cactus 
collection,  while  another  houses  tropical 
plants.  A new  solar  greenhouse  contains  a 
large  collection  of  rare  alpine  and  rock  garden 
plants.  This  is  the  only  alpine  collection  open 
to  the  public  in  the  East.  In  the  foundation 
ruins  of  an  old  greenhouse  there  is  the  Herb 
Garden  with  over  100  different  herbs.  A Dry 
Garden  has  been  started  within  another  old 
stone  greenhouse  foundation.  Many  half-hardy 
plants,  such  as  zauschnerias,  phlomis,  euphor- 
bias, origanums  and  rosemary  are  being  grown 
there. 

Up  a steep  slope,  further  along  the 
path  from  the  Dry  Garden,  is  the  Wild  Garden. 

It  is  "wild"  only  in  the  use  of  the  plant  mater- 
ial. Around  each  curve  in  the  winding  path  up 
to  the  summerhouse  is  another  exciting  visual 
treat.  Crambe  maritima , a frothy  white  blos- 
soming wild  kale  from  Britain  grows  happily 
in  an  environment  far  different  from  its  native 
habitat.  Yucca  glauca  grows  along  with  Asclep- 
ias  tuberosa  (self-seeded).  Verbascum  bomby- 
ciferum,  Zauschneria  calif ornica  and  Glauciums 
share  space  with  a number  of  Carex.  Interming- 
ling are  Iris  pseudacorus  'Bastardii'  and  I. 
chrysographes  'Black  Form'  with  Eremurus , 
small  flowered  clematis,  Arctostaphylos  uva- 
ursi , Pinus  aristata  and  cacti.  Plants  which 


20 


UW  Arboretum  Bulletin 


The  Wave  Hill  herb  garden. 

have  never  been  associated  intermingle  in  an 
exciting  experiment.  The  Wild  Garden  is  an 
area  where  Stufano  and  Nally  dare  to  do  the 
unusual,  and  get  away  with  it. 

Christopher  Lloyd  wrote  "What  a gem 
their  pond  garden  is",  to  which  he  must  have 
referred  to  the  textures  and  forms  of  the  grasses, 
reeds,  water  lilies  and  arums  used.  This  garden 
is  located  at  the  flat  area  at  the  base  of  the  Wild 
Garden.  It  is  a peaceful  spot  where  an  occation- 
al  heron  comes  to  fish,  and  people  sit  and  relax, 
enjoying  the  tranquility. 

A new  Monocot  Garden  in  the  curve 
by  the  pond  near  the  pergola  is  planned  for  the 
spring  of  1987.  There  will  be  mainly  grasses, 
bamboos,  lilies,  species  Iris  and  the  like.  On 
the  pergola  grow  a most  imaginative  selection 
of  vines  such  as  gourds,  morning  glories, 
moonflowers  and  cardinal  climbers. 

A Symmetrical  Garden  has  been 
created  for  displaying  interesting  color  from 
early  spring  until  fall.  This  garden  is  made  of 
shrubs  and  roses,  as  Stufano  says  "in  a Sissing- 
hurstesque  manner". 

Great  expanses  of  lawn  and  huge  old 


photo:  Timothy  Hohn 

trees  separate  these  gardens.  There  are  oaks, 
maples,  magnolias,  elms,  parrotias  and  pines, 
as  well  as  several  Idesia  polycarpa  with  its 
interesting  fruit,  a tree  for  which  Wave  Hill  is 
particulary  well  known. 

Incorporated  in  all  this,  scattered  about 
on  the  grounds,  are  large  pieces  of  sculpture,  on 
loan  from  the  artists,  which  are  changed  from 
time  to  time.  On  going  exhibits  of  garden  de- 
sign, horticultural  displays  and  musical  pro- 
grams are  presented  in  Wave  Hill  House,  along 
with  a variety  of  educational  classes,  workshops 
and  training  classes  for  elementary  school 
teachers.  The  collection  and  memorabilia  of 
Arturo  Toscanini,  and  137  tapes  of  the  broad- 
casts the  maestro  led  with  the  NBC  Symphony 
Orchestra  are  housed  in  the  Wave  Hill  Library. 

The  entire  garden  is  an  imaginative, 
fascinating,  daring  creation.  The  great  care 
given  to  color,  form  and  texture  reflects 
Stufano's  artistic  background.  The  continual 
seeking  out,  and  use  of  unusual  plant  material 
makes  this  garden  a plant  lovers  delight.  Wave 
Hill  has  become  an  inspirational,  exciting,  yet 
relaxing  sanctuary  in  this  country's  largest  city. 


Winter  1986  (49:4) 


21 


A Collection  of  Botanical  Treasures  — 
The  University  of  Washington  Herbarium 


MELINDA  F.  DENTON,  CURATOR 


Early  in  man's  recorded  history,  the 
search  for  information  concerning  plant  distri- 
butions and  diversity  was  based  on  a need  to 
know  more  about  drug,  medicinal,  or  food 
plants.  The  Chinese,  for  example,  had  floral 
pharmacopoeias  as  early  as  5000  B.C.  Later, 
the  Hebrews,  Babylonians,  and  Greeks  produced 
herbals  that  dealt  with  medicinal  substances  de- 
rived from  plants.  Given  the  concern  for  medi- 
cal applications,  it  is  no  surprise  that  physi- 
cians were  the  first  taxonomists  (persons  who 
study  the  kinds  of  organisms  to  determine  their 
identity  and  extent  of  variation  and  to  arrange 
them  in  an  orderly  sequence  or  classification). 
Their  medical  skill  depended  in  large  measure 
on  an  ability  to  know  which  plants  could  be 
used  to  treat  various  illnesses;  their  gardens 
were  their  laboratories.  By  the  early  1700s, 
physicians  and  estate-holders  were  cultivating 
many  kinds  of  plants  and  subsidizing  exped- 
itions of  adventurous  collectors  who  would 
bring  back  herbarium  specimens,  seeds,  and 
exotic  plants  from  remote  parts  of  the  world. 
Plants  were  preserved  for  identification  pur- 
poses or  for  general  reference  by  making  dried 
pressed  specimens,  a technique  developed  in 
Italy  in  the  1500s.  The  earliest  herbarium 
specimens  were  bound  into  books;  later,  single 
herbarium  specimens  were  filed  systematically. 
The  increase  in  knowledge  of  plants  only 
increased  the  appeal  of  unusual  ornamentals 


as  well  as  the  desire  to  acquire  more  of  the  food 
and  drug  plants  that  grew  naturally  elsewhere. 

It  soon  became  evident  that  classifications  were 
necessary  to  provide  some  framework  for  depict 
ing  plant  relationships  so  that  identifications 
could  be  made  readily. 

In  1623,  Caspar  Bauhin  published 
Pinax  Theatri  Botanici , which  was  a compil- 
ation of  information  concerning  all  plants 
known  to  exist  at  that  time.  By  the  mid- 
1700s,  Carolus  Linnaeus  constructed  an  artifi- 
cial system  of  classification  of  flowering 
plants,  based  primarily  on  the  number,  arrange- 
ment, and  fusion  of  male  and  female  reproduc- 
tive parts  of  the  flow'ers;  this  was  a landmark 
contribution  in  that  it  arranged  the  plants 
known  to  him  in  an  easily  interpretable  se- 
quence. Linnaeus  and  other  taxonomists  of  the 
17th  and  18th  centuries  usually  did  not  see 
more  than  one  or  a few  specimens  of  a given 
species  and  did  not  realize  the  extent  of  varia- 
tion that  usually  exists  within  a species.  Even 
though  their  taxonomic  decisions  were  not 
based  on  an  appreciation  of  the  processes  of 
evolution  or  populational  variation  of  species, 
the  framework  for  modem  studies  in  plant 
systematics  was  laid  by  these  early  taxono- 
mists. 

Today,  plant  systematics  (encompas- 
sing taxonomy)  aims  at  understanding  the 
nature  of  plant  variation  and  phylogeny 


22 


UW  Arboretum  Bulletin 


Workroom  for  receiving  and  fumi gating  plant  specimens. 

(pertaining  to  evolutionary'  relationships  within 
and  between  groups)  of  taxa  (whether  species, 
genera,  families,  orders,  or  classes).  The  inten- 
sive study  of  a group  of  related  species  provides 
an  understanding  of  the  w av  those  organisms 

C J 

likely  have  evolved  and  documents  the  nature  of 
their  phylogenetic  relationships.  One  might  ask 
the  value  of  know  ing  if  plant  species  A is  relat- 
ed to  plant  species  B.  The  answer  becomes 
especially  apparent  when  plant  species  A has  an 
important  medicinal,  nutritional,  or  ecological 
property.  Plants  that  are  phylogenetically 
closely  related  tend  to  be  similar  in  their  chemi- 
cal and  physiological  properties.  The  resources 
for  an  important  product  can  be  increased  if 
more  than  one  species  w ith  the  property  can  be 
obtained.  Such  information  usually  is  avail- 
able only  if  intensive  monographic  studies  that 
evaluate  the  phylogenetic  relationships  of 
plants  and  the  processes  that  have  led  to  diversi- 
fication have  been  made.  In  a monographic 
study,  all  aspects  of  the  growth  and  develop- 
ment of  the  included  species  should  be  invest- 
igated to  provide  a full  understanding  of  the 
way  in  which  the  species  have  adapted  (changed 
genetically)  and  evolved. 

Systematic  studies  rely  on  examin- 


photo:  author's 

ation  of  numerous  plant  specimens  made  of  the 
species  being  studied.  To  be  thorough,  speci- 
mens that  have  been  collected  throughout  the 
known  range  of  geographic  distribution  should 
be  examined.  Plant  specimens,  housed  in  her- 
baria or  plant  museums,  document  the  existence 
of  particular  kinds  of  organisms  or  species  at  a 
given  time  in  a specific  place;  they  are  vouch- 
ers. The  preserv  ation  of  vouchers  in  a herbar- 
ium allows  researchers,  present  and  future,  to 
study  the  extent  of  species  variations  as  well  as 
to  check  or  confirm  the  results  of  others.  The 
continuing  refinement  of  scientific  techniques 
enables  researchers  to  use  herbarium  specimens 
for  a w ide  variety  of  biological  studies  that  seek 
answers  to  diverse  questions  or  hypotheses. 

For  example.  DNA  from  plants  preserved  as 
herbarium  specimens  now'  can  be  extracted  and 
used  for  comparative  analyses.  In  some  species, 
seeds  can  be  removed  from  herbarium  speci- 
mens. germinated,  and  used  for  a particular 
study  w here  live  materials  are  needed  for  chro- 
mosomal, ecological,  genetic,  or  chemical  anal- 
yses. In  all  cases,  examination  of  a represen- 
tative set  of  herbarium  specimens  for  a given 
species  can  readily  depict  the  range  of  morphol- 
ogical variation  and  distribution  pattern. 


Winter  1986  (49:4) 


23 


Plant  specimens  representing  a holotype(the  specimen 
on  which  a name  of  a plant  is  based;  in  this  case,  the 
type  o/Sedum  laxum  subspecies  flavidum. 

photo:  author’s 

Since  rare  and  endangered  plant  species 
are  now  of  state  and  federal  concern,  the  deter- 
mination of  the  status  of  a plant  species  (rare, 
endangered,  or  threatened)  depends  on  the 
thoroughness  with  which  plant  exploration  and 
collecting  have  been  carried  out  in  a region.  If 
collecting  has  been  extensive  in  all  areas,  for 
example  in  Washington  state,  then  one  can  ade- 
quately assess  the  frequency  and  locations  of 
populations  of  the  native  species.  Upon  exam- 
ination of  the  collections  kept  in  herbaria,  the 
geographic  distribution  is  determined.  If  all  or 
nearly  all  potential  habitats  have  been  explored, 
then  one  can  assume  that  the  distribution  pat- 
tern of  a given  species  determined  by  the  exam- 
ination of  herbarium  specimens  is  accurate. 
While  obtaining  distribution  data,  the  identifica- 
tion of  the  specimens  examined  always  should 
be  checked  to  make  certain  that  errors  of  identi- 
fication or  filing  were  not  made  previously. 

Such  verifications  provide  a clearly  documented 
basis  of  the  distribution  pattern  of  a plant 
species. 

For  the  state  of  Washington,  when  a 
flowering  plant  species  is  known  to  be  rare  or 
endangered,  the  location  of  each  population  is 


noted  from  the  herbarium  specimen  and  the 
information  sent  to  the  Natural  Heritage  Pro- 
gram, now  affiliated  with  the  Washington  State 
Department  of  Natural  Resources  in  Olympia, 
Washington.  The  locations  and  sizes  of  the 
populations  of  these  species  are  currently  moni- 
tored by  the  Heritage  Program.  Information  on 
the  status  of  rare  and  endangered  species  and  of 
other  native  species  that  are  dominant  in  particu- 
lar plant  communities  is  used  by  the  Washing- 
ton State  Natural  Areas  council  and  groups 
such  as  the  The  Nature  Conservancy  to  deter- 
mine priorities  for  habitat  preservation  and  land 
management  and  acquisition. 

Once  the  accumulation  of  specimens 
in  a herbarium  for  a given  region  is  represen- 
tative of  the  existing  plant  life,  floras  or  man- 
uals can  be  written.  These  volumes  are  essen- 
tial for  general  plant  identification  of  the  local 
plant  life  and  for  documenting  the  geographic 
occurrences  of  plants.  (The  term  flora  can  be 
used  to  refer  either  to  the  plant  life  of  a given 
area  or  to  a published  work  describing  the  plant 
life  of  a given  area.)  Consultation  of  available 
floras  or  manuals  allows  one  to  determine  or 
estimate  the  overall  distribution  pattern  of 
particular  species,  which,  in  turn,  provides  data 
for  understanding  the  phytogeographical  rela- 
tionships of  plants.  Floras,  however,  are  never 
really  complete.  They  require  periodic  revision 
to  account  for  newly  found  species  as  well  as 
those  that  disappear  either  by  natural  or  man- 
made means  (usually  by  alteration  or  elimina- 
tion of  a habitat).  In  most  floras,  introduced 
plants  are  not  included  unless  they  have  become 
naturalized.  In  the  Pacific  Northwest,  we  have 
a model  flora  (The  five-volume  illustrated 
Vascular  Plants  of  the  Pacific  Northwest  by 
C.L.  Hitchcock,  A.  Cronquist,  M.  Ownbey, 
and  J.W.  Thompson)  and  a manual  ( Flora  of 
the  Pacific  Northwest , by  C.L.  Hitchcock  and 
A.  Cronquist).  The  collections  that  document 
these  major  works  are  housed  in  the  University 
Herbarium. 

The  University  Herbarium  was  founded 
in  1879  by  the  Young  Naturalists  Society  in 
Seattle,  an  organization  that  was  active  up  until 
1905.  All  of  the  early  collections  were  incor- 
porated into  the  holdings  of  the  Washington 
State  Museum  (now  known  as  the  Thomas 
Burke  Memorial  Washington  State  Museum) 
located  on  the  University  campus.  Many 
collections  of  native  plants  were  made  by 


24 


UW  Arboretum  Bulletin 


early  members  of  the  society  and  by  faculty 
members  at  that  time.  By  the  early  1900s,  the 
Herbarium  had  started  to  expand  and  to  be  used 
as  a resource  for  research  and  teaching.  The 
Herbarium  consisted  of  about  30,000  speci- 
mens in  1937  when  it  was  transferred  to  the 
Department  of  Botany  where  the  faculty,  main- 
ly C.L.  Hitchcock,  could  use  the  specimens 
more  intensively  in  research  and  teaching.  As 
Curator  for  35  years  (1937-1972),  Hitchcock 
devoted  most  of  his  energies  to  building  the 
Herbarium  through  an  active  collecting  and 
exchange  program.  By  the  time  of  his  retire- 
ment, the  Herbarium  had  grown  to  about 
400,000  collections. 

As  Curator  since  1972, 1 have  devoted 
most  of  my  efforts  to  strengthening  the  hold- 
ings of  certain  plant  groups  or  families,  and 
improving  the  physical  layout  and  accessibility 
of  the  collections.  Since  1980,  we  have  had  an 
assistant  curator  (Bonnie  Tucker,  1980-82; 
Anna  Zeigler,  1982-present)  and  undergraduate 
hourly  support  to  help  with  daily  herbarium 
operations.  Over  the  years,  we  also  have  had 
invaluable  assistance  provided  by  volunteers. 
We  now  have  over  510,000  collections  of 
which  60%  is  representative  of  Pacific  North- 
west taxa.  Included  in  these  are  over  1,500 
type  specimens;  each  serves  as  the  type  of  a 
scientific  name.  Considering  all  groups  of 
plants,  we  believe  that  we  have  the  best  repre- 
sentation of  native  plants  from  the  region  that 


can  be  found  in  any  museum  or  herbarium.  In 
brief,  the  composition  of  our  holdings  is: 
324,000  vascular  plants  (ferns  and  allies, 
gymnosperms,  and  flowering  plants),  72,000 
bryophytes  (mosses),  16,000  hepatics 
(liverworts  and  allies),  21,000  algae,  1 1,000 
lichens,  and  50,000  fungi.  These  specimens 
were  collected  by  many  important  collectors, 
the  more  notable  being  W.H.  Baker,  W.C. 
Cusick,  W.  J.  Eyerdam,  T.C.  Frye,  C.L. 
Hitchcock  and  C.V.  Muhlick,  G.E.  Howard, 
D.E.  Stuntz,  W.N.  Suksdorf,  and  J.W. 
Thompson.  Today,  our  acquisition  policy 
emphasizes  plant  species  that  occur  in  remote 
areas  of  the  Pacific  Northwest  and  western 
North  America  in  general. 

In  1983,  the  University  Herbarium 
was  moved  from  Johnson  Hall  to  the  new 
biological  sciences  building  on  campus,  named 
C.  Leo  Hitchcock  Hall.  Along  with  the  move 
to  new  facilities,  we  were  able  to  consolidate  all 
holdings  and  provide  for  a 35%  increase  in 
storage  space.  The  improvements  in  physical 
layout  and  access  to  the  collections  enable  us  to 
handle  special  requests  and  accommodate  the 
needs  of  visitors  more  readily  than  we  could 
previously.  With  improved  representation  of 
plant  groups,  the  value  of  the  herbarium  is 
increased  for  purposes  of  teaching,  basic 
research,  and  for  obtaining  information  useful 
in  land  management  and  conservation. 


The  Arboretum  Foundation 
Used  Book  Sale 
at  the 

Donald  G.  Graham  Visitors  Center 

Take  this  opportunity  to  stock  up  on  spring  & summer  reading! 

Friday,  March  6th  — Arboretum  Foundation  members'  Preview  Sale  5:00-8:00  p.m. 

Saturday,  March  7th  & Sunday  March  8th  — Public  Sale  10:00  a.m.  to  4:00  p.m. 

Books  you  wish  to  donate  may  be  brought  to  the  Visitors  Center  on  Wednesday,  March  4th  and 
Thursday,  March  5th. 


Winter  1986  (49:4) 


25 


The  Donald  G.  Graham  Visitors  Center 


At  the  request  of  the  Arboretum 
Foundation,  the  Seattle  Parks  Department  has 
officially  named  the  new  building  in  the  Wash- 
ington Park  Arboretum  the  Donald  G.  Graham 
Visitors  Center.  The  Arboretum  Foundation 
feels  that  this  is  a most  fitting  recognition  of 
Mr.  Graham's  devotion  to  horticultural  causes, 
dedication  to  the  establishing  and  development 
of  the  Arboretum,  and  the  generous  financial 
support  that  has  continued  from  its  beginnings 
in  the  1 930’s  to  the  building  of  the  Visitors 
Center  itself. 

Donald  G.  Graham  was  bom  in  Fort 
Worth,  Texas  in  1884,  and  came  to  Seattle  to 
practice  law  in  1921,  following  his  marriage  in 
1919  to  Juanita  Fisher.  Donald  Graham's 
horticultural  interests  were  well  recognized  by 
1934,  when  minutes  of  the  September  6th 
meeting  of  the  Board  of  Park  Commissioners 
record  his  appointment  to  the  temporary  com- 
mittee "to  make  recommendations  as  to  financ- 
ing and  plans"  for  the  "Arboretum  Project". 
Also  in  1934,  Donald  Graham  was  appointed 
chairman  of  an  "Arboretum  Advisory  Council". 
One  of  this  Council's  first  actions  was  to  estab- 
lish the  Arboretum  Foundation  — to  serve  as  a 
repository  for  funds  and  to  raise  revenues  for 
the  Arboretum.  At  this  time  Juanita  Graham 
was  instrumental  in  the  formation  of  18  auxil- 
iary support  units  to  the  Foundation  and  served 
as  the  Unit  Council  President  from  1938-1941. 
Unit  1 is  named  the  Juanita  Graham  unit,  and 
after  fifty  years,  Mrs.  Graham  continues  her 
involvement  and  support  of  the  75  active  and 


productive  units. 

In  1938  and  1939  there  were  difficul- 
ties in  resolving  and  financing  the  fledgling 
Arboretum.  Thanks  to  the  efforts  of  a group 
of  dedicated  people,  the  Arboretum  survived, 
"Chief  among  these  perhaps,  was  Donald 
Graham,  who  donated  a prodigious  amount  of 
time  and  unusual  knowledge  and  talent  to  the 
enterprise  at  a time  when  it  sorely  needed  such 
services."  ( The  Long  Road  Traveled , p.  204)  In 
1943,  Donald  Graham  was  significantly  involv- 
ed in  the  lobbying  that  led  to  a legislative  ap- 
propriation for  support  of  the  Arboretum.  In 
1963,  he  was  appointed  to  the  "City-University 
Arboretum  Committee",  fonned  as  a result  of 
the  receipt  of  Thompson  Expressway  funds. 

He  was  president  of  the  Arboretum  Foundation 
in  1941-42  and  again  in  1962-64. 

Donald  Graham  was  a frequent  writer 
for  this  publication  and  a major  disseminator  of 
fine  plant  material  throughout  this  area.  He 
donated  many  rare  plants  to  the  Arboretum 
which  had  been  brought  to  this  country  by  his 
efforts.  He  was  one  of  the  very  few  men  to  be 
made  an  honorary  member  of  the  Seattle  Garden 
Club  in  recognition  of  his  service  to  the  city. 

In  1971  he  was  awarded  the  Bronze  Medal  by 
the  Seattle  Chapter  of  the  American  Rhodo- 
dendron Society,  a chapter  he  was  directly 
responsible  for  organizing.  In  1972,  the  year 
of  his  death,  he  was  to  have  received  the 
Amateur  Citation  Award  of  the  American 
Horticultural  Society. 


26 


UW  Arboretum  Bulletin 


The  Arboretum  Foundation 

Invites  you  to  join  their 

Spring  Garden  Tour  of 
South  Carolina,  North  Carolina  & Virginia 

April  11-25,  1987 

Here  is  an  opportunity  to  see  Southern  gardens  in  full  bloom.  Starting  in  Charleston, 
South  Carolina  you  will  see  magnificent  plantings  of  evergreen  azaleas,  effective  use  of  camelias, 
magnolias,  bald  cypress  and  native  plants  of  the  Eastern  United  States.  Public  gardens,  arboreta 
and  private  gardens  will  be  seen  in  an  area  rich  in  American  history.  You  will  be  escorted  by 
Barbara  Keightley  and  Mary  Ellen  Mulder. 

Private  gardens  from  the  Charleston  House  and  Garden  Tour  and  the  Virginia  Historic 
Garden  Tour  will  be  included.  Some  of  the  public  gardens  that  will  be  seen  are  Magnolia 
Plantation  with  its  300  year  old  garden  in  a superlative  water  setting  and  Brookgreen  Garden  with 
its  sculpture  collection  among  the  native  plants.  Tyron  Palace  Restoration  shows  the  transition 
in  garden  design  from  17th  century  Dutch  English  School  to  the  natural  landscaping  of  the  18th 
century.  The  beautiful  North  Carolina  Botanical  Gardens,  historic  Williamsburg,  Monticello, 
and  a garden  designed  by  Salvatore  Dali  are  some  of  the  highlights. 

The  motorcoach  tour  will  carry  you  through  the  Shenandoah  Valley  and  the  Blue  Ridge 
Mountains  to  the  12,000  acre  Biltmore  Estate  in  Asheville,  North  Carolina  before  returning  to 
Charleston  for  the  return  to  Seattle. 

The  cost  is  $1,920  per  person,  based  on  sharing  a twin  room  and  a minimum  of  20 
passengers.  A donation  to  the  Arboretum  Foundation  of  $75  for  members  and  $100  for  non- 
members is  required. 

For  further  information  please  contact:  Barbara  Keightley,  232-3556;  Mary  Ellen 
Mulder,  232-81 19;  Heather  at  Travel  Professionals,  236-0990;  or  the  Arboretum  Foundation 
office,  325-4510. 


A Letter  to  the  Editor 


Dear  Editor, 

I noticed  an  article  in  the  Fall,  1985 
issue  of  the  Arboretum  Bulletin  that  attributed 
the  design  of  the  south  portion  of  the  Japanese 
Garden  to  Richard  Yamasaki.  To  lay  to  rest 
this  subject  about  which  there  has  been  con- 
fusion for  some  years  I would  like  to  add  the 
following. 

When  Juki  Iida  returned  to  Japan  after 
the  completion  of  most  of  the  Garden,  it  was 
apparent  to  Fred  Mann  (then  University  Arch- 
itect) that  most  visitors  to  the  Garden  would 
walk  almost  the  length  of  the  Garden,  from  the 
parking  lot  to  the  south,  before  they  could  enter 
and  the  suggestion  was  made  that  another  en- 
trance should  be  designed  at  the  south  end.  The 
University  found  funds  for  this  project  and  ask- 
ed me  to  work  directly  with  Richard  Yamasaki 
(who  build  the  original  gate  and  teahouse)  and 


William  Yorozu  (who  set  the  original  rocks  and 
planting  under  Mr.  Iida's  direction).  Conse- 
quently a collaborative  effort  was  begun  to 
complete  the  south  portion  of  the  Garden  in 
sympathy  with  the  major  portion  of  the  Garden 
already  in  place. 

Richard  Yamasaki  designed  and  build 
the  new  entrance  gate.  The  dry  stream,  general 
grading,  paths  and  rock  placement  were  laid  out 
to  my  plan  and  the  detailed  rock  placement  and 
some  of  the  planting  was  done  by  William 
Yorozu.  Further  planting  was  completed  by 
Brian  Mulligan. 

Since  the  general  character  of  the 
Garden  designed  by  Juki  Iida  was  eclectic,  that 
is  combining  several  styles  of  Japanese  gardens, 
it  was  assumed  that  the  addition  was  not  out  of 
place  although  it  was  not  originally  designed  by 
Mr.  Iida.  -Eric  Hoyte 

University  Landscape  Architect 


Winter  1986  (49:4) 


27 


'7#J 


tout. 


Dedicated  to4 

OFFERING  UNUSUAL 
SELECTIONS  EOR 
DISCRIMINATING 
COLLECTORS 
OF  PLANT  MATERIALS 


WELLS-MEDINA  1 Nursery 
8300  N.E.  24th  St..  Bellevue  454-1853 


7 days,  9:30  to  6 & 
13625  NE  175th  in  Woodinville 
Phone:  483-5000 


(from  Bellevue:  454-1951 ) 


plant  basket  from 


Molbak's  Flower  (Shop 


INGRID’S  GARDENS 


ORNAMENTAL  PRUNING 
INSTALLATIONS 

COMMERCIAL  & PRIVATE  MAINTENANCE 


329-3739 


28 


UW  Arboretum  Bulletin 


NORTHWEST  LAND  DESIGN 

MARTIN  E.  WALTERS,  r.b.g.  cert. 
523-7911 
SEATTLE 

Tree  "Estimates  &->  JietieW  of  Portfolio 

DESIGN/INSTALLATION/CONSULTATION 


• Sprinkler  Systems 

• Decks,  Patios,  Fences 

• Rock  Work 


• Lawns,  Planting  Beds 

• Ponds,  Waterfalls 

• New/Renovation 


* State  Contr.  Reg.  No.  NorthLD169Jl 


drained  at  the  fRoyal  Botanic  Qardens , Kert 


GARDEN  CARPENTRY 

Specializing  in 
Design  and  Installations 
of  Garden  Structures 

• ARBORS  • SCREENS 

• GAZEBOS  • FENCES 

• BENCHES  • DECKS 

• GATES  • PLANTERS 

Ed  Eopp 

Featured  in  THE  SEATTLE  TINES 
"Return  of  the  Trellis'' 

CALL 
938  - 0939 
FOR  APPOINTMEnT  OR 
PORTFOLIO  REVIEW 

5416  40th  AVE.  S.W.,  SEATTLE,  WA  98136 

STATE  COMTR  REG  - GARDEC  I55M9 


GOSSLER  FARMS  NURSER  Y 

SPEC  I A I.JZING  IN  MA  GNOl.IAS  AND  COMPANION  PLANTS 


1200  WEAVER  ROAD 
SPRINGFIELD , OREGON  974  77 


Including  Stewartia,  Styrax,  Acer,  Davidia,  et  cetera 
Many  new  and  unusual  plants 
Visitors  welcome  by  appointment 
CATALOG  50*  PHONE  (503)  746-3922 


Winter  1986  (49:4) 


29 


Cleaned  seeds  ready  for  the  International  Seed  Exchange  at  the  Center  for 
Urban  Horticulture.  photo:  Joy  Spurr 


Published  by  the 
Arboretum  Foundation 
Washington  Park  Arboretum 
University  of  Washington  XD-10 
Seattle,  Washington  98195 


NON-PROFIT  ORG. 
U.S.  POSTAGE  PAID 
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON 

Permit  No.  126 


i 


MS.  PATRICIA  DANFORD 
2747  NE  90th 
SEATTLE,  VIA 


98115 


ADDRESS  CORRECTION  REQUESTED 
Time  Value  Mail  — Please  Expedite