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Washington  Park  Arboretum 


Published  by  the  Arboretum  Foundation 

Spring  2006 


The  Washington  Park  Arboretum  Bulletin  is  a benefit 
of  Arboretum  Foundation  membership. 

For  information  on  membership  or  advertising 
opportunities,  contact  the  Arboretum  Foundation 
at  206-325-4510  or  gvc@arboretumfoundation.org. 


Washington  Park  Arboretum 

The  Arboretum  is  a 230-acre  dynamic  collection  of 
trees,  displaying  internationally  renowned  collections 
of  oaks,  conifers,  camellias,  Japanese  maples,  hollies 
and  a profusion  of  woody  plants  from  the  Pacific 
Northwest  and  around  the  world.  Aesthetic  enjoyment 
gracefully  co-exists  with  science  in  this  spectacular 
urban  green  space  on  the  shores  of  Lake  Washington. 
Visitors  come  to  learn,  explore,  relax  or  reflect  in 
Seattle’s  largest  public  garden. 

The  Washington  Park  Arboretum  is  managed  cooper- 
atively by  the  LIniversity  of  Washington  and  Seattle 
Parks  and  Recreation;  the  Arboretum  Foundation  is  its 
major  support  organization. 

Graham  Visitors  Center 

Open  10  am — 4 pm  daily; 
holidays,  noon — 4 pm. 

Closed  Thanksgiving  and  the  Friday  after, 
Christmas  and  New  Year’s  Day. 

The  Arboreaim  is  accessible  by  Metro  bus  #43  from 
downtown  Seattle  and  the  University  of  Washington  campus. 


University  of  Washington 

The  University  of  Washington  manages  the  Arboretum’s 
collections,  horticultural  programs,  facilities  and 
education  programs  through  the  University  of 
Washington  Botanic  Gardens.  It  owns  some  of  the 
land  and  buildings. 

206-543-8800  voice  / 206-616-2871  fax 
Office  hours:  8 am — 5 pm  weekdays 
www.uwbotanicgardens.org 

David  J.  Mabberley,  M.A.  (Oxon.),  Ph.  D.  (Cantab.), 
Director,  University  of  Washington  Botanic  Gardens 

Seattle  Parks  and  Recreation 

The  City  of  Seattle  owns  most  of  the  Arboretum’s  land 
and  buildings.  Seattle  Parks  and  Recreation  is  respon- 
sible for  park  functions  throughout  the  Arboretum  and 
manages  and  operates  the  Japanese  Garden. 

206-684-4556  voice  / 206-684-4304  fax 
Ken  Bounds,  Superintendent 


— Washington  Park  Arboretum  Bulletin  — 


Lee  Cuninggim  Neff, 
Editor 

Cynthia  E.  Duryee, 
Copy  Editor 


Constance  Bollen, 

Graphic  Design 
Joy  Spurr,  Photography 
(unless  otherwise  noted) 


Editorial  Board 


Arboretum  Foundation 

The  Arboretum  Foundation  is  a nonprofit  organization 
established  in  1935  to  ensure  stewardship  for  the 
Washington  Park  Arboretum  and  to  provide  horticul- 
tural leadership  for  the  region.  The  Foundation  provides 
funding,  volunteer  services,  membership  programs  and 
public  information  in  support  of  the  Arboretum,  its 
plant  collections  and  programs.  Volunteers  operate  the 
gift  shop,  conduct  major  fund-raising  events,  and  further 
their  gardening  knowledge  through  study  groups  and 
hands-on  work  in  the  greenhouse  or  on  the  grounds. 


2300  Arboretum  Drive  East,  Seattle,  WA  98112 
206-325-4510  voice  / 206-325-8893  fax 
gvc@arboretumfoundation.org 
www . arboretumfoundation . org 
Office  hours:  8:30  am — 4:30  pm  weekdays 
Gift  shop  hours:  10  am — 4 pm  daily 


Officers  of  the  Arboretum  Foundation 
Board  of  Directors 


Deborah  Andrews, 


Neal  Lessenger,  President 
Judy  Phillips,  Vice  President 
Susan  Black,  Vice  President 
Doyle  Douglas, 

Vice  President 


Executive  Director 
Mary  Ann  Odegaard, 
Vice  President 
John  Johnston,  Treasurer 
Della  Balick,  Secretary 
Fred  Isaac,  Immediate 
Past  President 


Tom  Berger,  The  Berger 
Partnership,  Landscape 
Architects 

Cynthia  E.  Duryee, 
Writer/Editor 
Val  Easton,  Writer 
Polly  Hankin,  Edmonds 
Community  College 
Daniel  J.  Hinkley, 

Heronswood  Nursery 
Joan  Hockaday,  Author 
Steven  R.  Lorton,  Former 
Northwest  Bureau  Chief, 
Sunset  Magazine 
Ciscoe  Morris,  Horticulturist 
Myrna  Ougland, 

Heronswood  Nursery 
Pam  Perry,  Parsons  Public 
Relations 
Christina  Pfeiffer, 

Horticultural  Consultant 
Jan  Pirzio-Biroli, 

Arboretum  Foundation 


Holly  M.  Redell,  Director 
of  Development,  Pacific 
Science  Center 
Richie  Steffen,  Coordinator 
of  Horticulture,  Elisabeth 
C.  Miller  Botanical 
Garden 

David  Streatfield,  UW  Dept. 

of  Landscape  Architecture 
Brian  R.  Thompson, 

Curator  of  Horticultural 
Literature,  University  of 
Washington  Botanic 
Gardens 

Cass  Turnbull,  Plant 
Amnesty  Founder 
Martha  Wingate,  Writer 

Botanical  Editors 

Randall  Hitchin,  Registrar 
& Collections  Manager, 
University  of  Washington 
Botanic  Gardens 
Jan  Pirzio-Biroli 
Martha  Wingate 


Spring  2006  Volume  68.  Issue  1. 

© 2006  The  Arboretum  Foundation.  ISSN  1046-8749. 


Con 

2 Thank  You! — Deborah  Andrews 

3 Sakura,  Sakura — Lee  Sc  hiring 

0 Calcutta — A Horticultural  Adventure 
— Boh  Lilly 

12  Indian  Plum:  Oemleria  cerasiformis — 
Wall  Bubelis 


TENTS 


fo  Around  the  Garden  in  One  Thousand 
and  One  Questions:  A Designer’s 
Introduction  to  Seattle’s  Japanese 
Garden — Lain  M.  Robertson 

24  Perennial  Maintenance  for  Beginners 
— Cass  Turnbull 

30  In  a Garden  Library:  A New  Flora — 
Just  in  Time  for  Spring — Brian  R. 
Thompson,  Bulletin  Book  Review  Editor 


ABOVE:  The  perfect,  white  flowers  of  Crataegus  jackii  appear  on  this  large,  thorny  shrub  or  small 
tree  in  May.  Originally  named  for  Quebec  native  John  George  Jack,  who  worked  for  many  years 
at  Boston’s  Arnold  Arboretum,  this  hawthorn  is  native  to  southeastern  Canada.  In  autumn,  it  is 
covered  in  dark  red  fruit.  In  the  Washington  Park  Arboretum,  its  spring  blossoms  and  fall  fruit 
may  be  seen  at  grid  coordinates  14-2W. 


ON  THE  COVER:  Even  the  sound  of  the  water  seems  to  be  conveyed  by  this  photograph  of  the 
waterfall  in  Washington  Park  Arboretum’s  Japanese  Garden.  For  questions  to  ask  yourself  while 
taking  a leisurely  tour  of  the  Japanese  Garden,  see  page  16. 


Spring  2006  1 


Thank  You! 


or  many  of  us,  an  early  harbinger 
of  spring  is  the  Northwest  Flower 
and  Garden  Show.  This  year’s 
Arboretum  Foundation  garden,  “Woodland  Path 
as  Poetry  of  Landscape,”  was  designed  by  The 
Berger  Partnership’s  Jan  Satterthwaithe  and 
Jason  Hemy.  A beautiful,  walk-through  garden, 
designed  to  recall  the  Arboretum’s  woodland 
paths  and  reflective  nature,  it  was  very  popular 
with  show  visitors.  In  fact,  the  garden  was 
awarded  a gold  medal  for  design  as  well 
as  the  American  Horticulture  Society’s 
Environmental  Award,  presented  to  the  garden 
best  demonstrating  both  skillful  design  and 
environmental  stewardship. 

We  are  very  proud  of  these  awards.  Many, 
many  thanks  to  the  designers,  the  volunteers 
and  staff  members  of  the  Foundation,  the 
City  of  Seattle  Parks  Department  and 
the  University  of  Washington 
Botanic  Gardens/Washington 
Park  Arboretum  grounds  crews 
for  the  numerous  hours  and 
considerable  work  spent 
making  this  garden  a winner! 

The  Foundation’s  premiere 
fundraising  event,  the  Preview 
Gala,  is  held  in  conjunction 
with  the  Flower  Show  the 
night  before  it  opens  to  the 
public.  Guests  are  treated  to 
sumptuous  food  and  wine,  the 
opportunity  to  view  show 
gardens  at  their  freshest  and 
the  fun  of  bidding  on  exciting, 
silent-auction  packages.  We 
thank  guests  who  attend  faith- 
fully each  year  and  those  who 
routinely  introduce  new 
friends  to  this  special  night 
and  to  the  Arboretum. 

As  spring  continues,  the 
Foundation  begins  holding 
plant  sales,  among  them,  the 


oldest  and  largest  plant  sale  in  the  city, 
Flor Abundance.  And  this  year,  watch  for 
something  extra  special  on  Mother’s  Day. 
When  you  visit  the  Arboretum,  please  stop  by 
the  Arboretum  Shop,  located  at  the  Graham 
Visitors  Center  and  celebrating  its  20th  anniver- 
sary this  year  with  merchandise  specials  and 
the  latest  in  books  and  gifts.  Thanks  to  all 
who  have  made  the  shop  such  a remarkable 
success.  All  event  information  can  be  obtained 
at  our  Web  site,  www.arboretumfounda- 
tion.org,  or  by  calling  the  Foundation  office 
at  206-325-4510.  <* 


Deborah  Andrews,  Executive  Director, 
Arboretum  Foundation 


“White  Camellia,”  by  Linda  Hatcher  of  Auburn,  Washington, 
was  awarded  first  prize  in  the  “Plant  Portrait,”  professional  division, 
of  the  Arboretum’s  2004  photo  contest. 


<40 


2 


Washington  Park  Arboretum  Bulletin 


ABOVE  BACKGROUND:  The  pink  flowers  of  this  weeping  Higan  cherry  ( Primus  subhirtella 
‘Eureka  Weeping')  surround  visitors  with  a curtain  of  color.  These  beautiful  blooms  may  be  seen 
in  the  Arboretum  at  grid  locations  8-2W,  12-B,  18-1W,  20-1W  and  38-B  and  elsewhere. 

INSET:  Lee  Schiring’s  painting,  “Sakura,  Sakura,”  echoes  the  breathtaking  froth  of  flowers  and  twisted 
trunk  of  the  tree  she  saw  in  the  Arboretum.  In  Japanese,  “sakura”  means  flowering  cherry  tree. 

In  Japan,  flowering  cherries  have  been  cultivated  for  over  a thousand  years. 


Sakura,  Sakura 


By  Lee 

he  two  of  you  are  going  to  the 
Japanese  Garden.  It  is  the  first  Sunday 
in  April,  and  surely  the  cherry  trees 
will  be  in  bloom. 

And  indeed,  as  you  drive  down  the 
winding  boulevard,  you  catch  sight  of  clouds 
of  bloom  up  the  bank  in  the  Arboretum. 

Should  you  stop? 


S C H I R I N G 

But  your  minds  are  set:  surely  the  Japanese 
Garden  will  be  even  more  concentrated 
splendor — a magnificent  outburst  of  spring. 

Surprisingly,  once  through  the  Japanese 
Garden’s  massive  wooden  gate,  spring  is 
banished.  The  somber  elegance  of  widely 
spaced  shrubs,  immaculate  moss  and  tidily 
edged  paths  takes  you  backwards  into  the 

Spring  2006  3 


caught  sight  of  the  cherries 
in  bloom,  you  leap  across 
the  wide  grass  path — leap 
to  avoid  sinking  in  mud — 
laughing  and  giddy  with 
escape  from  the  rigors  of 
chilly  winter.  And  as  you 
pick  your  way,  you  keep 
glancing  up  and  up  the  bank— into  paradise. 

The  hillside  bears  tiers  of  pink  and  white, 
pure  exuberance:  tree  after  tree,  cherries 
covered  with  clumps  of  bloom  like  hills 
crowned  with  snow;  magnolias,  thin  silk  and 
creamy  satin,  all  set  against  a warming  April 
sky,  full  of  clouds,  full  of  rain. 

You  have  one  camera  between  you,  and 
you  climb  the  steep  bank,  repeating  the  litany: 


simplicity  of  winter.  Within 
these  walls  you  find  only 
quiet,  clipped  green  and  a 
few  pure,  perfect  white 
camellias,  set,  like  jewels, 
on  pruned  branches. 

The  wind  is  sharp, 
hurrying  both  of  you  along 
with  a few  other  silent  visitors — all  keeping 
precisely  to  the  paths.  Even  the  koi  move 
sluggishly  in  the  pond. 

Should  you  leave? 


The  Leap 

Back  down  the  boulevard  . . . From  the 
parking  lot  below  the  bank  where  you  first 


ABOVE:  This  Japanese  flowering  cheriy  or  Oriental  cherry,  Prunus  semdata  ‘Shirotae’  (‘Mount  Fuji’), 
has  white  flowers  that  open  from  rich  pink  buds.  Dark,  twisted  trunks  and  red  fall-leaf  color  make 
Japanese  flowering  cherries  interesting  throughout  the  year.  These  cherries  may  be  viewed  at 
Arboretum  grid  locations  29-2W  and  36-1W,  in  the  Japanese  Garden  and  in  the  Union  Bay  gardens. 
INSET:  Because  it  is  so  disease-resistant,  Prunus  ‘Berry’  (Cascade  Snow™)  is  well  suited  to  gardens 
west  of  the  Cascade  Mountains  and  is  recommended  to  gardeners  by  the  Great  Plant  Picks  program. 
Large,  snow-white,  spring  blossoms  are  followed  by  dark  green  leaves  that  turn  orange-bronze  and 
yellow  in  fall.  It  may  be  seen  in  the  Arboretum  at  grid  coordinates  32-2W  and  33-2W. 

(For  more  about  Great  Plant  Picks,  see  www.greatplantpicks.org.) 


4 'jo 


Washington  Park  Arboretum  Bulletin 


“How  pretty!  How  beautiful!”  You  point  first 
to  this — “There’s  a beauty!  Can  you  take  that 
one?  And  that?  Look  at  the  view,  branches 
opening  to  the  sky,  framed  in  a cloud  of 
pink.”  You  feel  whirled  in  color,  as  if  caught 
in  a kaleidoscope  full  of  stars. 

“Oh!”  you  both  say,  as  one  points  the 
viewfinder  upward  again,  and  your  heels  start 
to  take  you  backwards  down  the  hill.  You  zig 
and  zag  up  the  hillside  and  finally  reach  a 
casual  path — packed  dirt,  with  no  edging  of 
precisely  pruned  shrubs.  Up  here,  above  the 
hillside,  you  are  wrapped  in  the  blossoming 
heads  of  trees. 

Happily,  you  wander  along  this  path  cut 
into  the  bank,  awash  in  foaming  cherry 
blossom,  as  if  in  a bubble  bath. 

The  Tree 

“ . . . well,  I don’t  really  see  that  she  can 
possibly  have  any  ...” 

The  voice  swells,  mezzo  forte,  as  two  girls 
move  briskly  down  a crossing  path.  And  the 
cherry  blossoms  are  all  clanging  with  conver- 
sation. You  stop  ‘til  they  have  gone  on,  ‘til 
the  swirl  of  pink  and  white  quiets  the 
woodland. 

The  view  at  the  turn  of  the  path  is 
wonderful. 

There  is  only  one  more  picture  on  the  roll. 

But  the  view  is  so  beautiful! 

And  you  take  the  last  picture. 

Now  two  young  men  overtake  you  on  the 
path:  “ . . . well,  that  was  enough.  I knew  not 
to  trust  any  more  ...” 

No  one  here  is  silent. 

“Loveliest  of  trees,  the  cherry  now,  is  hung 
with  bloom  along  the  bough  ...”  You  try  to 
remember  A.  E.  Housman’s  poem.  Snatches 
recur:  “ . . . about  the  woodland  I must  go, 
to  see  the  cherry  hung  with  snow  ...” 

And  then,  there  it  is — The  Tree:  a twisted 
shaft  of  purest  black;  a crown  of  pink,  frothing 
and  foaming  in  a tilted  mass,  leaning  almost 
to  the  ground.  You  stand  and  draw  breath, 


just  letting  the  spaces  sink  in.  And  then, 
because  the  last  picture  has  been  taken,  you 
pull  out  your  pocket  sketchbook  and  try  to 
capture  the  twisting  shapes. 

You’ve  caught  the  idea,  but  the  pen  lines 
are  so  thin.  You  promise  yourself  you'll  try 
to  remember. 

And  you  do,  later.  There  the  painting 
hangs — imperfect — but  giving,  when  you 
glance  at  it,  some  echo  of  what  you  saw  when 
you  first  looked  at  the  tree  itself. 

A side  path  leads  back  down  to  the  other 
end  of  the  squelchy  mud  and  grass  track,  and 
you  descend  to  make  closer  acquaintance 
with  individual  flowers  on  the  tree.  The  middle 
of  each  flower  is  a star:  the  translucent  petals 
overlap  and  produce  a shadow  star,  supported 
by  the  split  bud  sheath. 

All  around  this  curve  of  open  swath,  and 
the  bank  of  blooming  trees,  the  myriad  star 
shapes — the  translucent  petals — are  catching 
the  light,  making  a Milky  Way  of  spring 
before  you. 

Here,  you  say,  there  should  be  Japanese 
dancers  in  scarlet  kimonos,  twirling  oiled- 
paper  umbrellas.  In  reality,  there  are  monks 
in  long,  dark-red  gowns,  admiring  the 
branches. 

You  squish  towards  the  car— rain  falling 
lightly  now.  You  had  forgotten  all  about  lunch, 
and  you  are  beginning  to  feel  hungry. 

A couple  stops  you  on  the  path:  “Can  you 
tell  us  how  to  get  to  the  Japanese  Garden?” 

“It’s  farther  along  the  boulevard — but  we 
have  to  tell  you,  there  are  no  cherry  blossoms 
there.  They  are  all  here.” 

And  as  you  leave,  you  see  the  couple 
climbing  into  spring. 


Lee  Schiring  is  a musician,  teacher  and 
painter.  She  and  her  husband  Ken  are 
Arboretum  Foundation  members  and  love  the 
Arboretum,  including  the  Japanese  Garden,  in 
all  seasons. 


Spring  2006  5 


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6 


Washington  Park  Arboretum  Bulletin 


Calcutta — 

A Horticultural  Adventure 

Text  and  Photos  by  Bob  Lilly 


In  February  2005,  I embarked 
upon  an  adventure  that  can 
only  be  called  extraordinary! 

Alice  Doyle,  of  Log  House  Plants  in 
Eugene,  Oregon,  asked  me  to  join  her, 
Kees  Sahin  and  Derry  Watkins,  from 
Special  Plants  near  Bath,  England,  on  a 
trip  to  Calcutta,  India.  For  many  years  we 
had  been  pressured  by  Kees  to  accom- 
pany him  to  the  Calcutta  Flower  Show, 
held  at  the  Agri-Horticultural  Society 
of  India,  which  was  established  in 
1820.  As  it  turned  out,  this 
standard,  amateur  flower  show 
had  been  running  for  185  years, 
and  even  more  surprising,  all 
four  of  us  ended  up  being  judges! 

An  afternoon  flight  from  Bombay 
brought  us  to  Calcutta  late  in  the  day,  so  it 
was  followed  by  a taxi  ride  into  town  at  dusk. 
There  is  little  in  this  world  as  strange  as  a 
wild,  Ambassador  Cab  ride  into  an  immense 
city,  engulfed  in  darkness  and  winter  haze, 
with  taxis,  trucks,  minivans,  man-drawn 
rickshaws,  carts  pulled  by  most  types  of  four- 
legged herbivores,  and  thousands  of  people 
everywhere.  Several  friends  had  told  me 
Calcutta  has  a particular  odor,  and  it  does, 
but  it  is  more  the  scent  of  presence — of  dust, 
water  vapor,  coal  smoke,  diesel  and  car 
exhaust,  and  wood  smoke.  In  some  areas,  the 
odor  of  hot  tar — being  heated  for  roadwork 
in  big  metal  drums  over  wood  fires  by  the 


side  of  the  street — is  added  to  this  mix. 
It  is  an  unforgettable  combination  of 
scents,  an  almost  touchable  taste  of 
the  city. 

Calcutta  is  a city  of  immense 
parks,  canals  and  neighborhoods 
with  complex  street  layouts  or 
wide  boulevards — some  lined 
with  large  trees.  It  also  has 
over  ten  million  people,  most 
of  whom  seem  to  be  out  in 
the  streets  and  on  the 
sidewalks  at  all  times.  In  the 
Maidan,  the  main  city  park,  we 
visited  a book  fair  where  stalls, 
about  20-by-20  feet  square  and 
almost  as  tall,  were  constructed  with 
doors,  windows  and  shelves,  and  held, 
seemingly,  millions  of  books.  The  fair  covered 
about  45  of  the  park’s  acres,  was  in  progress 
for  a week  and  attracted  800,000  people.  Yes, 
I found  a couple  of  books  to  bring  home. 

Calcutta  is  a city  of  contrasts.  The  most 
apparent  view  of  these  differences  encom- 
passes the  contrast  between  the  lives  of 
people  who  really  do  live  on  the  streets, 
sleep  in  tents  and  cook  on  open  fires,  and 
our  experience  at  a Flower  Show  party  held 
at  a mansion  with  a wing  for  servants,  three 
of  the  most  perfect  cows  I have  ever  seen, 
and  extraordinary  food  (including  saffron  ice 
cream!)  I expect  never  to  taste  again.  All  of 
the  party’s  delicacies — at  least  30  different 


TOP:  Miniature-flowered  marigolds  ( Tagetes  tenuifolia ) grown  for  Flower-Show  display. 

BOTTOM:  Palms  for  judging. 

INSET:  Plants  arriving  for  the  Flower  Show. 

Sand  on  the  floor  of  the  trucks  prevents  the  clay  pots  from  sliding  during  travel. 


Spring  2006  <*»  7 


dishes — were  prepared  right  there  in  front 
of  us,  with  every  item  served  on  £ 
separate  china  plate. 

The  Flower  Show  Site 

The  morning  before  judging  the 
Flower  Show,  we  stopped  in  at  the 
Agri-Horticultural  Society’s  offices  to 
be  introduced  to  Kees  Sahin's  friends. 

During  our  visit,  we  actually  saw  the 
f 85-year  history  of  the  event,  as  initially 
documented  in  a journal  written  by  the  first 
secretary  of  the  Society,  then  continued, 
handwritten  in  script,  in  large,  2-inch  thick, 
ledger-size  books,  and  in  English  (as  the  show 
was  started  during  the  Raj,  the  English  colonial 
period  in  India).  We  wandered  about  the 
Society’s  garden  that  morning,  primarily 
admiring  useful  plants — tropical  fruits  and 
hardwoods — and  some  purely  ornamental 
plants,  vines,  orchids,  ferns  and  palms.  There 
were  also  curiosities,  such  as  the  baobab 
( Adansonia  digitata ) and  the  elephant  foot 
tree  ( Pentace  species),  some  bizarre  euphor- 
bias, and  a tree  with  no  two  leaves  the  same 
shape  (Pterygota  alata  ‘Diversifolia’). 

Next  on  the  agenda  was  a look  at  the 
Flower  Show  site — a grassy,  flat  field  with 
flat-topped,  open,  covered  structures  for  the 
cactus  and  succulents;  an  opaque,  poly-house 
set  up  for  cut  flowers  and  children’s  arrange- 
ments; a rather  ornate  shade  house,  covered 
with  bright,  Kelly-green  netting,  for  the 
display  of  orchids  and  ferns;  and  a square 
pavilion  set  up  in  the  middle  of  the  field  to 
display  about  10  elaborate  floral  arrange- 
ments, quite  similar  to  those  at  Chelsea.  Three 
sides  of  the  field  were  bordered  by  green 
and  white  plastic  fencing,  about  15  feet  tall — 
a very  odd  backdrop  for  dahlias  and  other 
potted,  large-scale  annuals.  White  cloth- 
covered  tables  were  set  up  for  bonsai  of 
extremely  high  quality,  created  from  tropical 
and  sub-tropical  trees  and  shrubs,  ranging 
from  Ficus  to  tamarind. 


Judging 

We  judges  gathered  the  next  day  at 
9 a.m.  at  the  judge’s  platform — a tent 
with  no  walls,  but  a veritable  living 
room  with  couches  and  end  tables  for 
us  to  use  while  being  instructed  and 
taking  breaks. 

Each  of  us  was  placed  with  one  or 
two  local  judges  and  given  one  or  two 
show  sections  to  judge.  Alice  Doyle  had 
annuals,  individual  and  grouped.  Derry  Watkins 
was  assigned  to  displays  of  annuals  and  a 
category  that  included  what  we  call  hardy 
annuals — those  that  might  over-winter  in 
England  or  in  the  Pacific  Northwest.  My 
categories  included  vegetables  and  “herbal 
medicinal  plants.” 

The  individual  vegetable  group  was  most 
interesting  and  included  some  extraordinary 
entries,  all  grown  in  12-inch  pots: 

• A big,  white,  daikon-type  radish:  with  about 
8 inches  of  arm-sized  root  above  soil  level; 
woody  with  a few  cracks  on  the  backside, 
but  with  perfect  foliage. 

• Pumpkin:  with  rough  vines  and  green  fruit. 

• Bitter  melons  ( Momordica  charantia ):  some 
waited  and  green;  some,  over  2 feet  long  and 
black;  and  some  orange  and  ripe  with  seeds 
artfully  left  on  the  soil,  just  as  they  had  fallen. 

• Four  entries  of  luffa-type  gourd  ( Luffa 
acutangula) — yes,  they  are  eaten:  hanging,  as 
were  the  bitter  melons,  from  circular  trellises  in 
the  pots.  (One  of  the  local  judges  I worked 
with  stuck  his  thumbnail  in  the  skin  of  a luffa 
and  pronounced,  “Not  edible  quality.”) 

• Bean:  one  small  plant  with  one  bunch 
of  beans. 

We  awarded  a “First,”  “Second”  and  “Special 
Mention”  in  each  category.  Among  the  vegeta- 
bles, our  “First”  award  went  to  the  long,  black, 
bitter  melon. 

The  herb  section  was  more  complex.  Herbs 
were  potted  in  groups  of  four  and  included 
some  very  unusual  plants.  There  were  two 
woody  basils  I had  never  seen,  and  several 


8 ■*>  Washington  Park  Arboretum  Bulletin 


TOP  LEFT:  In  the  Calcutta  flower  market  covered  area. 

TOP  RIGHT:  Handpicked  marigolds  being  weighed. 

BELOW:  Disbudded  dahlias,  grown  to  produce  huge  flowers,  in  a Flower  Show  display. 


Spring  2006  9 


plants  I could  not  identify  at  all,  but  the 
judges  I was  with  knew  even  less  than  I 
did,  which  seemed  odd.  Afterwards,  Kees 
identified  the  basils.  The  most  unusual  plant 
had  long,  purple  leaves  the  size  of  summer 
savory,  and  scattered,  tripled  arrangements 
of  pure  white,  stiff,  sharp  thorns.  We 
never  figured  this  one  out  but  did  later 
see  it  in  the  wild.  There  was  an  Aloe 
vera  plant  in  almost  every  group  and 
a few  other  succulent-like  plants,  but 
most  of  the  herbs  were  woody  or  semi-woody 
shrubs.  Awards  in  this  category  went  to  the 
groups  of  plants  that  were  best-balanced  and 
looked  best  overall. 

New  Plants  and  New  Sites 

At  the  Flower  Show,  we  did  find  a few 
plants  new  to  all  four  of  us,  including  one 
Alice  is  trying  to  find  seed  for — a bicolor, 


miniature  marigold  ( Tagetes  tenuifolia). 
There  was  also  a pale  blue  lupine  of 
good  form,  the  two  bush  basils,  a good 
color  form  of  Calendula  (similar  to 
‘Coffee  & Cream’),  and  a white,  cut- 
flower  Centaurea  that  smells  of 
chocolate.  The  most  striking  flowers 
at  the  Flower  Show  were  the  giant 
dahlias — a local  specialty — and  we 
even  met  one  of  the  breeders.  Some 
[lowers  were  almost  as  large  as  a soccer  balls 
(regulation  size!)  on  disbudded  plants  no  more 
than  two  feet  high.  Some  of  these  were 
displayed  in  triangles,  dug  into  the  turf  so  that 
arrangements  were  canted  toward  the  viewers, 
the  triangle’s  point  first;  and  even  these  plants 
were  grown  in  12-inch  pots! 

After  judging  ended,  we  went  to  the 
Calcutta  Botanical  Garden  to  see  the  world’s 
largest  banyan  tree,  Ficus  bengbalensis — 
250  years  old,  covering  more  than  two  acres, 


WellsAVedina 

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(G)Jiere  hardeners  S tow 


5 Acres  of  Superior  Quality  Plants 

Perennials  • Annuals  • Shrubs  • Roses 
Rhododendrons  • Japanese  Maples 

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8300  NE  24th  Street  • Just  off  520  in  Medina,  WA 


10 


Washington  Park  Arboretum  Bulletin 


and  held  up  by  hundreds  of  “stilts”  formed 
by  aerial  roots  that  reach  the  ground.  The 
botanical  garden  was  immense,  with  wide 
avenues  and  a collection  of  mostly  large 
tropical  trees  and  palms.  For  a small  fee  our 
taxi  was  permitted  to  drive  into  the  park. 
There  were  giant  water  lily  ( Victoria 
amazonica ) youngsters  in  many  of  the  canals 
and  ponds  in  the  park. 

The  last  of  our  horticultural  adventures  in 
Calcutta  was  our  visit  to  the  main  flower 
market  at  the  base  of  the  Howrah  Bridge, 
built  in  1943.  At  2,313  feet,  Howrah  Bridge 
is  the  third-longest  cantilever  bridge  in  the 
world,  but  no  photos  are  allowed.  The  most 
common  flowers  for  sale  were  individual 
French  marigolds,  mostly  yellow  and  orange, 
loose,  or  strung  as  decorations  for  weddings 
or  religious  use.  The  market  was  composed 
of  a street  crammed  with  vendors  and  a 
covered  area  packed  with  stalls.  There  were 


no  straight  lines,  some  one-person-wide  aisles 
and  truly  millions  of  flowers:  marigolds, 
double  and  single  tuberoses,  edible  chrysan- 
themums and  annual  bachelor  buttons.  Often 
these  were  in  large,  woven  plastic  bags, 
3 feet  square  and  3 feet  deep.  The  bees  on 
the  tuberoses  were  a bit  scary  but  very  preoc- 
cupied. Ten  kilos  of  French  marigolds  of 
mixed  color  sold  for  about  $1.20 — the  same 
as  for  a 39-stem  bundle  of  lotus  flowers  in 
tight  bud. 

Although  we  went  on  to  Darjeeling  and 
Gangtok,  the  Capital  of  Sikkim,  after  our  stay 
in  Calcutta,  our  first  experiences  in  India 
remain  colorfully  memorable. 


Bob  Lilly  is  a former  board  member  of  the 
Arboretum  Foundation,  chair  of  its  spring 
plant  sale,  FlorAbundance,  and  co-chair  of 
its  Fall  Bulb  & Plant  Sale. 


Rhododendron  Species 
Botanical  Garden 

www.rhodygarden.org 

Explore  a beautiful  woodland  garden 
featuring  22  acres  of  rhododendrons, 
ferns,  perennials  and  flowering  trees. 

; 2006  Spring  Plant  Sale 

March  31st  & April  1st 


Peak  season  is 
' mid-March 
through  mid-May 

For  information  on  the  garden,  guided 
tours,  wedding  rentals, 
membership  program 
and  admission  fees 
please  call 
253-661  9377 


m 


Located  in 
Federal  Way, 
Washington 


DIG 

Floral  & Garden 
19028  Vashon  Hwy  SW 
Vashon,  WA  98070 


206-463-5096 
206-463-4048  fax 
web:  dignursery.com 
email:  dig@centurytel.net 


Spring  2006  11 


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Indian  Plum: 
Oemleria  cerasiformis 


By  Walt  Bubelis 


o you  ever  lust  after 
the  latest  plant 
from  England, 
the  one  you’ve  just  seen  in 
a new,  glossy  publication? 

Well,  how  about  using  a 
homegrown  plant  that  many 
English  gardeners  covet?  It  is  none 
other  than  our  native  harbinger  of 
spring,  the  Indian  plum. 

So  common  here  we’ve  taken  to  treating 
them  like  red  alders — ubiquitous  weeds— 


removing  them  when  in  the  way, 
ignoring  them  until  they  are  no 
longer  in  our  gardens,  Indian 
plums  are  now  usually  found 
only  in  the  distant  woods. 
But  English  gardeners  know  a 
good  thing,  even  if  we  don’t. 
They  import  seed  of  Indian  plum, 
just  to  grow  what  we’ve  been  eradi- 
cating from  our  native  landscape. 

Why?  What  do  they  see  in  Indian  plum?  A 
plant  with  the  fresh  green  of  new  grass;  white 


OPPOSITE:  This  specimen  Indian  plum  ( Oemleria  cerasiformis ) is  easy  to  identify  by  its  new, 
grass-green  leaves  and  early,  white  flowers.  ABOVE:  Racemes  of  dangling  blossoms  lure  admirers  with 
subtle  almond  fragrance.  INSET:  Mr.  Parker,  the  author’s  cat,  admires  this  specimen’s  cinnamon-colorecl 
bark.  (Photo  by  Walt  Bubelis)  Native  from  British  Columbia  south  to  northern  California, 

Indian  plum  may  be  seen  throughout  the  Arboretum. 


Spring  2006  <*>  13 


flowers  that  greet  the  late  winter  sun;  leaves 
that,  when  crushed,  smell  of  cucumbers;  a 
plant  that  settles  down  in  either  sun  or  shade. 

Indian  plum  resonates,  for  me,  with  the 
changing  of  the  seasons.  Like  many  of  our 
Eastern  forest  representatives,  Indian  plum 
comes  out  well  before  the  canopy  of  maples 
and  alders  shutters  the  forest  floor  with  its 
ever-thickening  foliage.  It  starts  the  spring 
phenology  sometime  in  late  winter;  once  its 
flowers  are  evident,  one  feels  that  spring 
cannot  be  far  behind. 

Even  a single  specimen  easily  can  be  identi- 
fied at  this  critical  time.  The  white  flowers 
hang  down  in  short  groups  known  as  racemes. 
The  plant  is  dioecious,  with  the  sexes  on 
separate  plants.  ( Dioecious  means  “two  houses” 
or  “two  worlds.”  The  root  oikos,  or  “our  world,” 
is  also  found  in  ecos  and  ecology.)  Looking 
closely,  one  can  determine  the  plant’s  sex. 
Both  male  and  female  flowers  are  lovely,  but 
only  females  will  produce  some  of  the  bitterest 
fruits  around.  The  small,  purplish  fruit  is, 
indeed,  like  its  plum  relatives,  a stone  fruit, 
but  the  very  thinnest  coating  of  pulp  covers 
the  elliptic  stone  inside.  Only  once  have  I ever 
tasted  fruits  that  were  palatable  and  not  just 
bitter.  Not  to  worry;  they  are  attractive  to  squir- 
rels and  birds,  regardless,  and  one  finds 
animal-borne  seedlings  popping  up  some 
distance  from  the  parent.  Youngsters  (and 
even  older  specimens)  are  easy  to  transplant, 
if  moved  during  the  early  winter. 

Indian  plum  was  once  known  as 
Osmaronia , a more  euphonious  name  than 
the  current  Oemleria , which  honors  one  Herr 
Oemler  of  Dresden,  who  happened  to  be  a 
friend  of  several  early  naturalists  and  botanists, 
such  as  Thomas  Nuttall,  whose  name  graces 
Cornns  nuttallii , the  Pacific  dogwood.  There 
is  only  the  single  species,  O.  cerasiformis,  the 
specific  epithet  referring  to  its  cherry-like  fruit. 

Before  being  named  Oemleria , this  plant 
was  once  known  as  Nuttallia  cerasiformis , 
named  for  the  very  same  friend  of  Oemler, 
Thomas  Nuttall.  Although  related  to  plums, 


Oemleria  earns  its  own  genus  for  the  botan- 
ical characteristic  of  having  five  pistils,  each 
free  of  the  others.  Plums  ( Primus  species) 
have  but  one  pistil. 

Striking  Seasonal  Harbinger 

Admittedly,  this  native  is  rather  poor  in 
fall  color — yellow  leaves  appearing  amidst 
still-green  foliage  and  sometimes  dropping 
rather  quickly  if  subjected  to  a dry  season. 
However,  early  leaf  drop  signals,  to  me,  the 
upcoming  autumn,  when  increasing  light 
reappears  in  the  woodland,  as  the  deciduous 
canopy  once  again  reveals  its  structure.  I 
notice  winter  passing,  when  the  slender  buds 
of  Indian  plum  start  to  swell,  then  fatten,  as 
the  compressed  parts  imbibe  water  from 
the  roots. 

Then,  one  day,  there  they  are — the  first 
flowers!  Pendent  and  white,  whether  male  or 
female,  and  brilliant,  whether  seen  on  an 
overcast  day  or  in  sunshine.  A few  tentative 
flowers  appear  at  first;  then  the  early,  brave 
ones  are  joined  by  myriad  blossoms.  Close  up, 
they  smell  of  almond.  The  woods  are  alive 
with  these  flashes  of  white.  Leaves  begin  to 
show  ever  more  of  their  beautiful,  grass-green 
coloration.  One  knows  good  weather  is  coming 
soon;  winter  is  losing  its  grip. 

Eventually  the  whole  plant  is  fully  green, 
demanding  little  attention  until  the  dark  bluish- 
black  fruits  begin  to  appear  in  late  spring.  I 
wisely  wait  to  try  them  until  they  look  fully 
black  and  swollen,  and,  if  lucky,  I may  get  a 
sweet-tasting  one. 

Cinnamon  Sticks 

As  summer  progresses,  I notice  the  warm 
brown  bark  more  and  more.  Possibly  as  a 
reaction  to  sunlight,  older  plants  start 
developing  cinnamon-colored  bark,  as 
worthy  of  respect  as  that  found  on  Stewartia 
trunks.  In  an  older  specimen,  this  feature  is 
an  added  attraction  to  look  for  and  foster — 
foster,  because  you  may  have  to  discourage 
suckers  at  the  base  that,  if  left  on  the  plant, 


14  ■-*>  Washington  Park  Arboretum  Bulletin 


would  obscure  the  oldest,  thickest  trunks. 

Left  to  its  own  devices,  Indian  plum  takes 
on  a multi-trunked  habit.  If  in  the  open,  it 
will  grow  equally  wide  as  tall,  usually  10  to 
15  feet  in  both  dimensions.  If  in  a woodland 
setting,  it  will  stretch  for  light  and  become  a 
tall,  narrow  tree.  I have  come  across  some 
venerable  examples  up  to  25  feet  tall.  They 
appreciate  moist,  rich  soil,  such  as  that  created 
over  time  by  fallen  deciduous  leaves. 

Both  Useful  and  Pleasurable 

Some  native  Salish  made  use  of  this  plant, 
eating  fresh  fruits  in  small  quantities  as  well 
as  cooking  and  drying  them.  Twigs  were  also 
chewed,  and  the  sap  applied  to  sores. 
Sometimes  twigs  were  burned  and  mixed  with 
fish  oil  before  application.  The  Saanich  of 
Vancouver  Island  made  a bark  tea  as  a purga- 
tive and  tonic. 

Indian  plum  is  also  called  oso  berry  and 
Oregon  plum.  The  reference  to  oso  puzzles 
me.  Oso,  in  Spanish,  means  “bear.”  The  small 
town  of  Oso  in  Western  Washington,  east  of 
Everett,  supposedly  was  named  by  a visiting 
Spanish  speaker  who  observed  a bear  at  the 
site.  (See  the  Oso  website  for  this  and  other 
colorful  observations.)  Now,  does  oso  berry 
mean  “bear  berry,”  the  same  common  epithet 
given  to  Arctostaphylos  uva-ursi , otherwise 
known  as  kinnickinnick?  Oregon  plum  makes 
some  sense  for  state-booster-type  botanists. 
One  is  reminded  of  how  common  names 
change,  depending  upon  locale.  In  California, 
Umbellularia  californica  is  known  as 
California  bay,  and  in  Oregon,  as  Oregon 
myrtle. 

All  in  all,  Oemleria  cerasiformis  brings  life 
to  early  woodland  scenes  and  serves  as  a 
source  of  food  for  wildlife  and  pleasure  to 
those  who  stop  to  enjoy  the  close-up  details 
that  this  quiet  native  provides. 


Walt  Bubelis  has  taught  horticulture 
at  Edmonds  Community  College  for  37  years. 


Griswold  Nursery 

Quality  Azaleas  & 
Rhododendrons  Since  1952 


12643  NE  70th  Street 
Kirkland,  WA  98033 


425-822-3078 

www.griswoldnursery.com 


Steamboat  Island  Nursery 

uncommon  trees,  shrubs,  vines, 
perennials,  grasses,  annuals 
and  temperennials 
also  pnw  native  plants 

8424  Steamboat  island  Road 
Olympia,  Washington 

360-866-2516 

steamboatislandnursery.com 

Open  Sat  & Sun  10-5  or  by  appointment 


The  Arboretum  Foundation 
extends  its  warmest  thanks  to 
The  Berger  Partnership 
for  designing  its 
award-winning  garden  for  the 
Northwest  Flower  8c  Garden  Show. 


Arboretum  Foundation 


The  Berger  Partnership  PS 

Landscape  Architecture 


bergerpartnership.com 


Spring  2006  15 


A Designer's  Introduction  1 


AROUND  THE  GARDEN 
IN  ONE  THOUSAND  AND 
ONE  QUESTIONS: 

Text  and  Photos  by 
Iain  M.  Robertson 

urely,  Washington  Park  Arboretum’s 
Japanese  Garden  is  Seattle’s  most 
overlooked  treasure.  Although  my 
original  goal  in  writing  this  piece  was  to 
suggest  questions  that  garden  guides  might 
pose  to  visitors,  to  enrich  their  experience  of 
this  sublime  garden,  these  questions  may  also 
prove  helpful  to  individuals  strolling  the  garden 
without  a guide.  To  avoid  any  suggestion  that 
these  observations  are  a prescription  for  the 
“right”  way  to  experience  or  understand  the 
garden,  Japanese  illustrations,  rather  than 
photographs,  have  been  chosen  to  accompany 

16  ytn  Washington  Park  Arboretum  Bulletin 


FAR  LEFT:  Every  entrance  should  re-entrance. 
(Garden  of  Ryoan-ji,  Kyoto,  Japan) 

LEFT:  Curving  paths  conceal  and  reveal 
destinations,  playing  off  the  open  space 
against  the  building. 

BELOW:  The  Pond  Revealed:  One  step  at  a time, 
the  sequence  unfolds.  The  picture  emerges. 
(Katsura  garden,  Kyoto,  Japan.) 


i Seattle's  Japanese  Garden 


• ' ' V 


A Designer's  Introduction  to  Seattle's  Japanese  Garden 


the  questions.  So  try  to  imagine  yourself 
strolling  counterclockwise  around  the  garden 
while  looking  at  these  images  and  pondering 
these  questions. 

Preparing  to  Stroll  the  Garden 

Seattle’s  Japanese  Garden  was  designed  as 
a stroll  garden  by  Mr.  Jukio  Iida,  and  a stroll, 
with  its  accompanying  sequence  of  events, 
translates  easily  into  a narrative,  prompting 
questions:  What  stories  unfold  as  one  strolls 
Seattle’s  Japanese  Garden?  How  does  the 
design  orchestrate  or  compose  sequential 
narratives?  Do  stories  change  if  we  follow 
different  routes  or  visit  the  garden  at  different 
seasons? 

Japanese  gardens  are  replete  with  symbolic 
meanings,  and  the  perceptual  rule,  “the  more 
one  knows,  the  more  one  sees,”  applies  par 
excellence  to  them.  Posing  questions  about 
narrative  interpretations  before  crossing  the 
threshold  may  encourage  visitors  to  see  not 
only  what’s  there — the  garden’s  plants,  stones, 
lanterns,  water,  structures,  etc. — but  also  what’s 
NOT  there — allusions  to  mountains,  forests, 
rivers  and  villages.  Although  a guide’s  job  is 
not  to  instruct  visitors  about  what  and  how  to 
see  and  think  at  every  step  of  the  way,  it  is 
desirable  to  open  visitors’  eyes  to  physical, 
perceptual  and  symbolic  experiences.  Artfully 
timed  questions  may  enhance  the  experience 
of  the  garden’s  literal  narrative  lines  and  facil- 
itate reading  between  these  lines,  too. 

Preparatory  questions  may  also  throttle 
back  the  turbocharged  American  mentality  to 
a pace  suitable  for  our  journey.  Think  of  the 
garden’s  entry  as  wrapping  paper.  What’s 
inside?  How  are  the  contents  presented  and 
implied?  The  gate’s  modest  scale,  rustic 
materials  and  fine  craftsmanship  hint  at  the 
garden’s  character  and  values.  The  gate  frames 
a view  of  a path  that  slides  tantalizingly  around 

18  Washington  Park  Arboretum  Bulletin 


shrub  masses,  discreetly  inviting  us  into  the 
garden,  while  simultaneously  saying  slow 
down!  Pay  attention!  Like  a face  glancingly 
hidden  by  a fan,  this  partial  view  suggests  a 
game  of  allure — revealing  and  concealing — 
that  is  repeated  throughout  the  garden. 

The  Curving  Path 

Rounding  the  first  bend,  we  are  immersed 
in  the  garden  and  fall  under  the  path’s  influ- 
ence. How  are  the  shrub  masses,  tree  canopies 
and  open  spaces  shaped  to  interact  with  the 
path?  How  do  they  encourage  our  eye — and 
attention — to  look  from  side  to  side,  rather 
than  retain  a straight-ahead,  goal-fixed  gaze? 
What  happens  to  the  experience  when  the  eye 
is  enticed  off  the  beaten  path?  We  begin  to 
suspect  that  the  journey  IS  the  purpose!  (If 
visitors  ask,  “When  will  we  get  there?”  we  are 
tempted  to  reply,  “You  can’t  get  there  with 
that  attitude!”)  In  this  portion  of  the  tour, 
before  we  have  our  first  glimpse  of  the  pond, 
we  might  consider  how  our  speed  of  travel  is 
influenced  by  the  path’s  bending,  widening 
and  narrowing,  and  by  the  location,  character 
and  variety  of  objects  along  the  way. 

The  first  major  intersection  occurs  at  the 
bridge  and  presents  us  with  a choice  of  routes. 
Suddenly,  the  garden  is  more  than  a singular 
narrative.  How  do  we  choose  which  path  to 
follow?  Does  the  design  subtly  or  overtly  favor 
one  direction  over  the  other?  Is  our  choice  influ- 
enced by  what  we  can  and  cannot  see?  Again, 
images  of  fans  and  veils  come  to  mind. 
Suggesting  one  route,  the  foreground  stream 
draws  our  eye  through  plant  masses  to  a view 
of  a corner  of  the  teahouse  roof.  A tantalizing 
hint  of  open  space  suggests  another  way. 
Choosing  between  alternatives  slows  us  down 
and  encourages  closer  observation  of  our 
surroundings.  Part  of  the  richness  of  the  garden 
derives  from  observations  at  the  larger  landscape 


Complexity  slows  us  down,  to  observe,  to  become  engaged. 
(The  dry  landscape  garden  of  Taizo-in,  Kyoto,  Japan.) 


scale,  and  part  from  observations  at  the 
intimate  scale,  where  detail,  intricacy,  variety 
and  change  reward  attentive  viewers  and  remind 
us  to  enjoy  every  step  of  the  journey.  Selecting 
the  right-hand  path,  we  postpone  visiting  the 
teahouse.  How  is  the  garden  experience  affected 
by  deferring  this  reward? 

The  Pond  Revealed 

The  garden’s  main  feature,  the  pond,  is 
gradually  revealed,  one-glimpse-at-a-time,  until 
we  come  alongside  it  and  feel  its  expansive- 
ness in  contrast  to  the  constricted  spaces  we 
have  traversed.  How  does  the  experience  of 
the  pond  differ  when  we  look  along  its  length, 
rather  than  across  its  narrower  breadth?  Is  the 
experience  enriched  by  the  sequence  of  framed 
views,  rather  than  a continuous  open  view? 
How  might  our  responses  to  these  questions 
influence  how  we  choose  to  experience 
Seattle’s  panoramic  mountain,  water,  landscape 
or  cityscape  views? 

The  shrubs  and  pine  trees  along  the  pond’s 
length  create  a sequence  of  views  that  change 
the  focus  of  our  attention — the  teahouse, 


the  peninsula  and  lantern,  the 
orchard  and  viewing  platform,  and 
the  bridge.  In  this  way,  the  small 
pond  is  made  to  seem  larger. 
Elements  that  might  compete,  if 
arrayed  cheek-by-jowl,  instead 
form  a complementary,  contrasting 
sequence.  Masses  and  views  are 
part  of  our  narrative’s  spatial 
grammar.  The  number  of  different 
views  of  the  pond  we  experience 
during  our  garden  walk  is  surpris- 
ingly large,  but  they  are  artfully 
knit  together  into  a coherent, 
unified  whole.  Some  of  the  plants 
surrounding  the  pond  are  pruned 
into  dense  masses,  while  others, 
such  as  the  pines,  have  open, 
sculptural  forms.  What  is  the  differ- 
ence between  looking  at  a view 
framed  by  solid  masses  and  looking  through 
lacy  branches  and  twigs  at  the  water  beyond? 
Our  responses  to  this  question  make  us  aware 
of  the  richness  of  human  perception  and  the 
eye’s  ability  to  change  focus  from  the  close  to 
the  distant — to  focus  on  the  screen  itself  or  to 
see  through  and  beyond  to  the  view. 

The  “push  and  pull”  of  plant  masses  and 
space  continues  around  the  pond.  Some  shnib 
masses  tend  to  nudge  our  bodies — and  atten- 
tion— away  from  the  perimeter  fence  into  the 
garden’s  center.  Contrast  this  treatment  of  the 
garden’s  boundaries  with  sentinel  rows  of 
Thuja  pyramidalis  along  other  property  lines, 
insistently  drawing  our  attention  to  those 
boundaries  rather  than  concealing  their 
presence.  Using  the  well-known  technique  of 
“borrowed  scenery,”  the  fence  is  intermittently 
screened,  so  the  garden  can  connect  visually 
to  the  further  hillside.  Reaching  the  Emperor 
Gate,  we  face  another  delightful  decision:  to 
continue  around  the  pond  or  to  cross  the 
bridge.  Why  is  the  path  wider  at  this  decision 
point?  How  does  this  widening  encourage  us 
to  slow  down  and  ponder  our  choices?  A 
quick  detour  to  the  bridge  proves  irresistible. 


Spring  2006  19 


A Designer's  Introduction  to  Seattle's  Japanese  Garden 


Increasing  Complexity 

The  path  to  the  bridge  is  far  more  complex 
than  the  main  path:  it  narrows  significantly, 
and  shrubs  press  in  upon  it  insistently;  stepping 
stones  appear,  followed  by  steps  up  to  the 
bridge;  materials  change;  sharp  angles  are 
introduced;  and  boundaries  between  land  and 


water  diminish.  In  myriad  ways 
our  perceptions  and  movements 
are  being  manipulated.  “What  is 
going  on  here?”  We  are  being 
slowed  down.  Our  attention  is 
directed  first  in  one  direction, 
then  another — any  direction 
except  straight  across  the  bridge. 
Where  the  bridge  widens,  we  are 
encouraged  to  stop  and  observe. 
It  should  come  as  no  surprise 
that  the  garden’s  richest  detailing 
is  located  here,  in  its  heart:  pines 
and  perimeter  stones,  low 
railings,  turtles  and  koi.  Here, 
too,  are  some  of  the  garden’s 
most  delightful  expansive  views,  for  this  low 
viewpoint  and  central  location  minimize  the 
fence’s  obtrusiveness  and  include  the 
surrounding  wooded  hillsides  in  an  undivided 
scene.  This  is  not  the  result  of  chance. 

Returning  to  the  perimeter  path  beyond 
the  Emperor  Gate,  we  confront  some  of  the 
garden’s  most  difficult  design 
problems.  After  bending  past 
an  elegantly  sparse  weeping 
willow,  we  cross  the  pond  where 
it  flows  out  of  the  garden.  How 
is  this  done?  Is  the  transition 
elegant  and  natural,  or  awkwardly 
contrived?  Here,  traffic  noise  is 
most  intrusive.  Does  the  sound 
of  water  compensate?  Stepping- 
stones  and  the  wisteria  arbor 
viewpoint  counter  undesirable 
distractions  and  draw  our  atten- 
tion back  into  the  garden.  Is  the 
design  successful?  Could  it  be 
modified  to  work  better? 


TOP:  Complexity,  not  perplexity — diversity  contained  within  a larger  unity.  (Shoren-in  garden  pond, 
Kyoto,  Japan.)  BOTTOM:  Children  in  the  garden,  not  at  the  garden — active  participants, 
not  passive  obseivers.  (Taizo-in,  Kyoto,  Japan.) 


20 


Washington  Park  Arboretum  Bulletin 


This  corner  is  one  of  the  most  complex 
places  in  the  garden.  We  may  choose  the  steep 
path  to  a viewpoint  down  the  length  of  the 
valley  or  follow  the  rectangular  steppingstones 
across  the  terrace  between  the  pond  and 
retaining  wall.  The  contrast  between  the  recti- 
linear terrace  and  other  parts  of  the  garden 
provokes  questions.  Crossing  the  terrace,  why 
do  we  step  on  the  stones  and  not  on  the 
grass?  How  does  this  choice  influence  our 
experience?  How  does  the  massive  retaining 
wall  affect  sensibilities  refined  by  intimate  and 
delicate  features?  Does  the  geometry  evoke  the 
intended  feeling  of  human  habitation?  Foremost 
among  these  questions  is  the  conundrum  of 
the  garden’s  missing  building — a pavilion 
located  on  top  of  the  wall  and  intended  to  be 


the  garden’s  main  feature  and  focal  point. 
Here,  we  may  imagine  the  garden  completed. 
How  different  would  it  look  seen  from  a 
pavilion?  Might  we  feel  like  a feudal  Japanese 
lord  surveying  his  stroll  garden?  Do  we  now 
see  the  garden  differently — as  an  unfinished 
symphony?  Will  the  last  page  of  Seattle’s 
Japanese  Garden  narrative  remain  unwritten? 

At  this  prospect,  we  stand  above  the 
garden’s  boundaries  and  survey  its  context. 
Does  it  successfully  nestle  into  the  Arboretum 
valley,  blurring  its  boundaries  as  it  “borrows” 
views  of  enclosing  hillsides?  This  thought  leads 
to  other  contextual  thoughts:  To  what  extent 
is  Seattle’s  garden  rooted  in  Japanese  cultural 
history,  and  to  what  extent  does  it  derive  its 
form  and  character  from  the  Northwest  soil  in 


Intricacy  and  intimacy  in  the  larger  composition  and  detail. 
“Bigness”  contains.  “Smallness”  creates  intimacy. 

(A  shady  garden  at  Ryoan-ji,  Kyoto,  Japan.) 


Spring  2006  °±>  21 


A Designer's  Introduction  to  Seattle's  Japanese  Garden 


which  it  is  rooted?  What  feels  Japanese?  What 
feels  Northwest?  Have  we  traveled,  in  imagi- 
nation, across  the  Pacific  to  Japan  and  back 
in  time  to  the  Muromachi  period? 

Coherence  & Complexity 

But  the  return  journey — in  particular,  the 
teahouse — beckons.  Do  we  have  time  to  sit 
in  the  Azumaya  and  ponder  universal  design 
questions?  How  does  this  tapestry  of  land, 
water,  plants  and  buildings  comprise  a unified 
composition,  while  composed  of  separate, 
distinct  parts?  What  gives  the  garden  its 
harmony  and  coherence,  and  how  does  this 
order  aid  our  comprehension?  How  do  the 
garden’s  variety,  interest  and  surprise  contin- 
ually engage  our  attention  without  destroying 
the  coherence  of  the  unfolding  narrative?  Easy 
answers  elude  us,  but  departing  visitors  may 
ponder  the  success  of  the  delicate  balance 
between  conceptual  coherence — necessary  to 
avoid  the  perception  of  chaos — and  the  variety 
and  richness  that  prevent  boredom.  From  the 
Azumaya,  the  path  meanders  through  the 
orchard’s  punctuated  space,  where  low- 
canopied  trees  contrast  markedly  with  looser, 
naturalistic  spaces. 

The  Garden's  Heart 

The  orchard  leads  to  the  wooden  viewing 
deck  that  extends  into  the  pond,  where  we 
engage  it  intimately.  Bounded  by  water,  the 
deck  provides  a new  experience,  different 
from  that  offered  by  the  perimeter  paths  or 
bridge.  Its  geometric  shape  prompts  questions 
about  the  shapes  of  land  and  water.  How  are 
we  affected  by  the  form  of  the  pond’s  edge? 
The  promontory  beach  jutting  into  the  water? 
The  growth  of  plants  into  or  over  the  water, 
veiling  the  land  and  water  boundary?  Deck 
views  are  among  the  most  varied  in  the  garden, 

22  Washington  Park  Arboretum  Bulletin 


prompting  questions  about  ways  in  which  its 
design  connects  us  to  or  separates  us  from  the 
garden.  The  deck  is  also  a good  place  to  ask: 
Where  is  the  heart  of  the  garden? — a question 
likely  to  provoke  a lively  conversation.  Perhaps 
the  deck  is  the  heart.  Perhaps  the  teahouse, 
or  possibly  the  pond  itself.  What  qualities 
should  a garden’s  “heart”  possess?  Since  the 
question  is  metaphorical,  should  we  even  be 
concerned  about  locating  the  garden’s  heart? 
This  question  reminds  us  that  much  of  the 
garden  experience,  like  the  location  of  the 
heart,  is  symbolic. 

Enfolding  Intricacy 

Time  presses,  and  we  move  on  past  lovely 
iris  and  water  lilies  to  the  path’s  last  major 
intersection,  where  we  must  choose  between 
a narrow  path  skirting  the  water’s  edge  and 
the  teahouse  hedge,  or  a wider  route  between 
the  teahouse  garden  and  perimeter  fence.  The 
former  path  traverses  the  loveliest  and  most 
intimate  parts  of  the  garden,  and  our  mind, 
eyes  and  feet  concur — this  is  the  route  to 
follow.  Intricacies  and  intimacies  abound  along 
this  enchanted  section — enough  beauty  to  still 
even  a designer’s  chattering,  questioning  mind. 
Who  could  not  be  delighted  by  the  enclosed, 
still  pool  where  the  stream  enters  the  pond? 
Japanese  maples  hang  low  over  the  water,  the 
waterfall  sounds  distantly,  and  our  feet  are 
lured  into  greater  intimacies  by  steppingstones. 
Here  shrubs  and  the  “mountain”  press  in, 
enfolding  us  within  the  garden.  Here  the 
canopy  contains  us  delicately,  perhaps 
reminding  us  how  open  and  expansive  the 
pond  is  in  contrast  to  this  still  containment. 
Here  is  intricacy,  complexity  and  richness. 
Here  one  might  voice,  soto  voce,  the 
unanswerable  question:  Why  is  it  so  beautiful? 

We  have  bypassed  the  teahouse  in  its 
enclosed  garden.  This  delicate  and  mysterious 


Farewells  offer  thoughts  of  returning  as  well  as 
the  beginning  of  memories.  (Ryoan-ji,  Kyoto,  Japan.) 


building  may  be  observed  from  all  sides  but 
remains  at  arm’s  length— inaccessible  and 
unapproachable.  If  we  enter  its  sanctum 
sanctorum,  we  find  ourselves  matching,  with 
infinite  care,  each  footstep  to  each  stepping- 
stone.  The  teahouse  is  replete  with 
questions — a privileged  space  within  a privi- 
leged garden,  and  the  subject  for  another  visit, 
another  narrative. 

Parting  Gifts 

Crossing  the  huge,  rounded  steppingstones 
by  the  waterfall  brings  us  closer  to  the  end 
of  our  journey.  The  waterfall’s  splash  prompts 
us  to  consider  the  contribution  of  sound  to 
the  garden  experience.  Boulevard  traffic 
notwithstanding,  much  of  the  garden  is 
shrouded  in  silence.  Our  attentiveness  has 
been  heightened,  and  we  hear  the  water  with 
greater  appreciation  and  clarity.  What  are  the 
sounds  and  silences  of  the  garden?  Do  we 
carry  them  home  with  us? 

Leaving  the  stream,  do  our  questions  finally 
run  dry?  No,  for  the  mossy  forest  floor  evokes 
questions  about  texture,  pattern  and  contrast. 


The  texture  of  fine  moss,  carpeting 
the  garden’s  “forest,”  contrasts 
dramatically  with  robust  sword 
ferns,  candelabra  Primula  and 
large-leaved  rhododendrons.  Here, 
among  these  lovely  flowers,  we 
notice  that  our  garden  experience 
has,  for  the  most  part,  ignored 
flowers— the  features  that  define 
most  gardens.  Have  we  missed 
them?  Does  the  varied  experience 
of  the  Japanese  garden’s  study  in 
green  delight  us?  How  green,  but 
never  tiresome,  our  world  can  be! 

But  return  at  other  seasons, 
and  the  garden’s  emphasis  shifts 
as  the  color  palette  changes! 
Where  spring  and  early  summer 
bask  in  the  splendors  of  rhodo- 
dendrons, iris  and  water  lilies, 
Japanese  maples  throw  restraint  to  the  wind 
in  the  fall.  Color  variations  put  us  in  mind 
of  seasonal  changes,  which  translate  into 
thoughts  about  time  itself.  As  our  visit 
concludes,  we  realize  that,  ultimately,  the 
garden  story  is  about  taking  time — to  look, 
to  feel,  to  think.  Rounding  the  bend,  passing 
the  infinitely  delicate,  pendulous,  cut-leaf 
maple,  we  walk  through  the  gate,  our  minds 
full  of  questions  and  answers — and,  I hope, 
a desire  to  return  to  the  garden  to  look 
deeper,  to  feel  more,  and  perhaps  to  ask  yet 
more  questions. 


Iain  M.  Robertson  is  an  Associate  Professor 
of  Landscape  Architecture  and  Adjunct 
Professor  in  the  College  of  Forest  Resources 
(University  of  Washington  Botanic  Gardens). 
He  serves  on  the  Japanese  Garden  Advisory 
Council  and  is  currently  working  with  Seattle 
Parks  Department  and  University  of 
Washington  Botanic  Gardens  staff  on  a 
design  for  the  relocation  of  the  Arboretum 
holly  collection — another  narrative!  He  may 
be  reached  at  iainmr@u. washington.edu 


Spring  2006  °*>  23 


Perennial  Maintenance 
for  Beginners 

By  Cass  Turnbull 


Drawings  by 

’m  certainly  no  expert  on  peren- 
nials. About  the  time  I was  going  to 
sign  up  for  the  perennials  class  at 
horticulture  school,  I started  Plant  Amnesty 
and  was  dragged  into  trees  instead. 
Nevertheless,  as  a working  maintenance 
gardener,  I’ve  spent  several  years  knocking 
around  in  other  people’s  perennial  beds,  or 
more  accurately  in  their  “mixed  borders.”  (In 
addition  to  perennials,  mixed  borders  contain 
shrubs,  sub-shrubs,  self-seeding  annuals,  silk 
flowers,  lounging  cats,  gazing  globes  and 
anything  else  that  might  make  things  look 
better  for  a longer  period  of  time.)  Last  year 
I took  on  a naive  client  who  had  just  acquired 
a new  home  and  garden,  and  I realized  I 


Kate  Allen 

could  act  as  a coach  to  the  very  new.  So, 
even  though  I don’t  consider  myself  an  expert 
in  gardening,  or  pruning  for  that  matter,  I 
may  be  a specialist  in  helping  people  who 
are  new  to  the  subject.  Yeah,  that’s  it.  I’m  a 
perpetual  beginner  put  on  earth  to  explain 
to  the  neophyte  that  which  is  obvious  to  the 
initiated. 

What  Is  a Perennial? 

First  of  all,  how  about  a definition  of 
“perennial”?  I remember  asking  my  mentor 
this  question  and  getting  a little  lecture  on 
the  life  cycles  of  perennials  and  annuals.  What 
I really  needed  to  know  was  that  you  buy 


24 


Washington  Park  Arboretum  Bulletin 


The  well-clad  “perennial  tender”  makes  good 
use  of  Cass  Turnbull’s  line  of  “garden  wear,” 
including  camouflage-colored  plant  tie 
and  a quiver  for  bamboo  poles, 
adjustable  stakes  and  hoops. 

The  perennial  tender’s  tool  belt  includes 
places  for  a tiny  hammer,  wire  cutters,  zip  tie, 
a hand  pruner  and  a water  bottle. 


annuals  (things  like  petunias,  marigolds  and 
impatiens)  in  the  nursery  in  spring,  and  you 
plant  them  in  the  ground  or  in  pots,  where 
they  grow  up  in  a month  and  bloom  their 
heads  off  continually  until  frost,  when  you 
yank  them  out  and  throw  them  away.  Planting 
your  first  pot  of  annuals  is  very  gratifying  and 
causes  many  people  to  get  hooked  on 
gardening. 

Perennials,  on  the  other  hand,  get  planted 
and  live  in  their  beds  forever,  dying  back  to 
ground  in  the  winter  and  returning  in  the 
spring.  But  they  usually  bloom  for  a short 
period  of  time — short  meaning  a month  or 
two.  The  number  of  satisfactory  flowering 
annuals  seems  pretty  limited,  but  the  number 


of  perennials  is  almost  infinite,  making  peren- 
nial bed  gardening  more  “challenging”  (a 
term,  all  gardeners  know,  that  is  code  for 
“difficult  and  rewarding”). 

Maintaining  Perennial  Beds 

First,  you  need  to  know  that  when  you 
see  that  magazine  photo  or  visit  that  garden — 
all  glorious  in  its  abundance  of  foliage  and 
flowers — you  are  seeing  it  at  its  peak.  For 
half  of  the  year — winter — it’s  mostly  gone! 
And  behind  the  scenes  is  an  incredible 
amount  of  work — staking,  grooming, 
relocating,  staking,  dividing,  weeding,  baiting, 
grooming,  cutting-back  and  staking.  Did  I 
mention  staking?  But  making  and  tending 
perennial  beds  is,  after  all,  a horticultural 
addiction  of  the  highest  order. 

And  if  you  visit  that  same  garden  three 
years  later,  you  will  see  something  wholly 
different.  I often  tell  people  that  making  a 
garden  is  more  like  riding  a horse  than 
building  a table.  Gardens  keep  moving  and 
changing  as  the  plants  grow  up.  It’s  an 
ongoing  process,  not  something  to  be  finished. 
Beds  get  larger,  some  plants  get  shaded  out, 
and  the  garden  must  be  weeded,  mulched 
and  adjusted  regularly.  Perennial  bed  mainte- 
nance is  more  like  riding  wild  horses  at 
night — standing  up,  without  saddles,  while 
they  jump  fences  and  streams. 

The  old  saying  for  perennials  is,  “The  first 
year  they  sleep,  the  second  year  they  creep 
and  the  third  year  they  leap.”  What  they 
don’t  tell  you  is  that  “the  fourth  year  they 
leap,  and  the  fifth  year  they  leap,  and  the 
sixth ...”  They  crowd  their  neighbors,  shade 
out  rhodies  and  conifers,  and  show  up  in 
the  crowns  of  other  plants  or  in  other  areas 
of  the  yard.  (I’ve  often  thought  someone 
should  develop  a sort  of  “Richter  scale”  for 
perennials,  assigning  a number  to  their 
relative  aggressiveness  in  growth  and  inability 
to  be  controlled  or  removed.)  Or,  alterna- 
tively, perennials  may  die  a slow,  sickly 


Spring  2006  25 


death.  Some  perennials  develop 
holes  in  the  center  of  their 
crowns,  and  some  stop 
blooming  unless  you  divide 
them.  Many  are  slug  magnets.  - 
Some  have  to  be  deadheaded,  . ~z. 
and  some  get  mildew.  Did  I — 
mention  staking?  Perennials  need 
a lot  of  attention,  generally  speaking. 

The  good  news  is  that  most  perennials 
are  really  tough.  They  are,  in  fact,  the 
masochists  of  the  plant  world.  Most  want  to 
be  dug  up  and  torn  apart.  They  like  it.  You 
can  walk  all  over  them  if  you  like. 

Grooming 

Perennials  are  just  like  people.  They  look 
great  with  practically  no  care  in  the  spring- 
time of  their  life,  but  as  time  goes  on,  they 
require  more  and  more  care  just  to  look  good. 
Usually,  by  summer,  and  certainly  by  the  fall, 
you  will  be  spending  a lot  of  time  “grooming.” 
This  is  not  as  delicate  an  operation  as  it 
sounds.  You  might  use  your  hedge  shears  to 
shear  off  the  spent,  brown  flowers,  or  you 
might  shear  or  cut  some  moth-eaten,  browned- 
out  plant  to  the  ground,  to  be  rewarded  with 
a flush  of  bright,  new,  green  growth  and 
sometimes  a second  flowering. 

When  a plant  starts  looking  tacky, 
just  go  inside  it  and  start  tugging  on 
yellowing  foliage,  picking  at  brown 
stuff,  raking  it  with  your  fingers.  You’ll 
be  surprised  how  much  better  it  looks. 

It’s  really  quite  gratifying.  When  daylilies 
start  to  lose  it,  I’m  in  there  gleefully 
yanking  on  the  lower  foliage,  tossing 
heaps  of  leaves  out  on  the  lawn.  And 
when  they  get  really  bad,  they  get  sawn 
to  the  ground  with  a bread  knife!  Next 
month,  up  comes  a new  set  of  foliage.  The 
same  is  true  with  browned  lady’s  mantle; 
leaf-mined,  dusty  columbines;  ragged  hardy 
geraniums  and  many  others.  In  fact,  whenever 
a perennial  starts  to  brown  out,  including 
perennial  bulbs,  go  at  it  with  gusto.  You  don’t 


have  to  wait  until  the  foliage  is 
totally  spent.  They’ll  be  fine. 

Unfortunately,  there  are 
some  exceptions  to  the  “cut- 
it-back-at-will”  rule.  I wish 
these  were  listed  somewhere 
~ too.  So  far,  all  I have  is  a 

mental  list  of  the  plants  that,  in 
my  experience,  want  to  be  treated 
gently.  By  “gently,”  I mean  they  need  some 
special  care  when  being  transplanted,  cut  back 
or  mulched — plants,  such  as  peonies,  Oriental 
and  Asiatic  lilies,  some  grasses,  hellebores, 
epimediums,  some  euphorbias,  penstemons, 
poppies,  artemisias  and  delphiniums.  I am 
hoping  you  will  write  to  me  with  more,  but 
only  if  your  knowledge  is  taken  from  your 
personal  experience  and  not  from  what  you’ve 
read.  I am  certain  that  the  list  of  “special  needs” 
perennials  is — relative  to  the  total  number  of 
those  used  in  the  garden — a small  one. 

Books  always  recommend  that  you  wait  ‘til 
fall  or  winter  or  spring  to  divide  and  move 
your  perennials.  But  by  then  you  will  have  no 
idea  what  was  wrong  with  the  way  things 
were,  or  where,  exactly,  the  plants  are.  And 
it  will  be  rainy  and  cold,  and  you  will  want 
to  be  inside  doing  other  things.  I like  to  move 
plants  around  while  they  are  in 
bloom,  so  I can  see  how  they  look. 
Duh!  I tend  to  scoff  at  all  the  correct 
“timing”  advice  I hear,  until  I kill 
something,  that  is.  Remember,  if  you 
are  not  killing  a few  plants  every  year, 
you’re  not  learning  and  growing  as  a 
gardener. 

Dividing 

The  same  is  true  for  all  that  dividing 
of  plants  that  you  are  supposed  to  be 
doing.  Is  it  really  necessary?  And  does 
dividing  really  help  your  daylily  bloom? 
Or  keep  your  “ Sedum  spectabile  Autumn 
Hoorah”  from  flopping?  Maybe,  maybe 
not.  Mostly,  I find  myself  dividing  plants 


26  Washington  Park.  Arboretum  Bulletin 


because  they  are  getting  way  too 
huge.  What  I can  tell  you  for  certain  is  that 
dividing  is  a lot  of  work.  Wraslin’  rootballs, 
that’s  what  it’s  all  about.  This  past  fall,  after 
stabbing  with  spades — repeatedly  and  futilely 
for  half  an  hour — the  dug-up  rootball  of  a 
large  ornamental  grass,  we  finally  succeeded 
in  using  an  axe  and  pry  bar  to  split  it  apart. 
We  were  exhausted.  And  we  put  back  less 
than  an  eighth  of  what  we  started  with.  Oh, 
and  we  had  divided  the  same  plant  the 
previous  year. 

The  best  trick  I ever  learned  from  reading 
a magazine  (with  illustrations)  was  how  to  use 
two  spading  forks,  adjacent  to  each  other  and 
back-to-back,  to  piy  apart  a root  mass.  After 
stomping  or  hammering  the  tines  into  the  dug- 
up  root  mass,  one  uses  the  shoulders  of  the 
tools  as  the  fulcrum  point.  Pushing  the  handles 
in  opposite  directions  will  magically  pry  the 
uncooperative  plant  apart.  Wow! 

I’ve  only  seen  “dividing”  successfully  work 
to  get  plants  blooming  again  on  a couple  of 
occasions.  Once  I attempted  to  remove  an 
entire  patch  of  crocosmia  that  the  homeowner 
said  no  longer  bloomed.  I did  what  I thought 
was  a thorough  job,  except  that  the  roots  of 
crocosmia  are  like  a series  of  pop-beads  that 
separate  when  you  dig  them  up.  And  when  I 
had  removed  90  percent  of  the  roots,  those 
“corms”  that  had  escaped  had  plenty  of  room 
to  grow  and  bloom,  which  they  did  the  next 
year.  In  fact,  I find  that  some  plants  are  impos- 


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Dozens  of  Nurseries  & Vendors! 


Early  Bloomers:  April  8 
Make  a Day  of  It:  May  5,6 
Mid-May  Sale:  May  13 


Spring  2006  27 


sible  to  remove.  When  I try 
to  get  rid  of  them,  they 
come  back,  and  some  even 
increase:  arums,  alstrome- 
rias,  scillas,  acanthus, 
calla  lilies,  and  lots  more, 

I imagine.  It’s  kind  of 
scaiy,  when  you  think 
about  it. 

Just  because  perennials 
look  delicate,  doesn't  mean 
they  are,  and  neither  is  the 
business  of  taking  care  of  them. 

And  it’s  dangerous!  I can’t  tell 
you  how  many  times  I’ve  bent 
over  in  a perennial  bed  to  tickle 
out  some  covey  of  shot-weed  and  narrowly 
missed  poking  my  eye  out  on  a stake.  I’m 
surprised  there  aren’t  more  one-eyed  gardeners. 

Staking 

Staking.  It’s  necessary,  and  it’s  a royal  pain. 
I’m  of  the  opinion  that  well  over  half  of  the 
perennials  commonly  in  use  eventually  flop. 
This  means  that  they  grow  up  in  the  spring, 
get  flowers,  and  then  fall  over  onto  the  ground 
right  before  the  party.  There’s  always  a summer 
rain  that  flattens  perennial  beds  all  over  town. 
When  I hear  that  rain  pelt  down  on  a warm 
June  night,  I rest  smugly  knowing  that  the 
beds  for  which  I am  responsible  are  supremely 
prepared.  My  best  advice  to  you  is,  “Stake 
early  and  stake  often.” 

In  February  or  March  at  the  latest  (the 
same  time  you  are  cutting  back  the  sword 
fern  and  Epimedium  foliage),  get  going  with 
the  hoops  and  cages.  You  have  no  idea  how 
fast  that  clock  is  ticking.  Of  greatest  need  is 
putting  the  hoops  over  the  bleeding  hearts 
and,  while  you  are  out  there,  the  peonies.  By 
hoops,  I mean  those  egregiously  expensive, 
green,  vinyl-clad,  glorified  tomato  cages  that 
have  cross-hatching  on  the  top.  Place  them 
over  the  plant  early  enough  that  the  foliage 
will  grow  up  and  through  the  caging,  hiding 


the  hoop  and  preventing 
the  otherwise  inevitable 
and  heartbreaking  flop 
in  coming  months. 
Peony  cages  will  need 
to  be  adjusted  upward 
or  added  to  with  more 
bamboo  stakes  or  t-bars 
to  prevent  the  taller  stems 
and  their  heavy  blooms 
from  breaking. 

Place  the  hoop  over  the 
crown  of  the  newly 
emerging  plant  and  push  the 
legs  down— a little  hammer 
can  come  in  handy  to  gently 
tap  them  in.  Soon  you  will  find  that  one  of 
the  wimpy  legs  bends  as  it  hits  a tiny,  buried 
pebble.  For  aesthetics  sake,  it  may  take  several 
re-postionings  to  get  the  top  level.  These 
same  legs  will,  in  a year  or  two,  fall  off 
altogether.  I use  zip  tie  and  green,  coated 
electrical  wire  to  reattach  them.  It  is  time- 
consuming  and  annoying,  but  I have  not 
found  better  replacements.  I daydream  a lot 
about  inventing  a tasteful,  durable,  adjustable 
perennial  hoop. 

But  hoops  are  only  used  for  certain  plants. 
Large,  spreading,  mat-type  plants  and  single- 
stemmers  get  different  treatments.  I have  long 
since  given  up  the  commonly  used  system  of 
string  tied  between  several  bamboo  stakes 
corralling,  say,  Shasta  daisies  or  a clump  of 
irises.  Instead,  I use  a “modified,  bamboo 
picket  fence.”  Tying  string  is  way  too  time- 
consuming,  and  the  straight-up  bamboo  stake, 
as  mentioned  previously,  is  a hazard.  Instead, 
I use  a series  of  bamboo  stakes,  ends  cut  at 
a slant,  and  jab  them  in  at  angles.  One  stake 
goes  this  way  and  the  next  goes  that  way, 
crossing  the  first  in  an  arrangement  that  looks 
like  a series  of  x’s.  This  is  done  around  the 
perimeter  and  also  randomly  inside  the  plant. 
As  a flower  stem  starts  to  flop,  it  leans  up 
against  a helpful  stake,  or  it  may  even  rest 
inside  a v-crotch.  I like  bamboo;  when  I am 


28  ^ 


Washington  Park  Arboretum  Bulletin 


done,  I can  cut  the  top  parts  off  at  just  the 
right  height,  hiding  them  from  view. 

This  staking  is  best  done  as  soon  as  the 
plant  grows  up,  but  it  is  also  great  for  “remedial 
staking,”  which  is  an  art  in  itself.  Once  the 
perennial  has  flopped  (and  it  happens  to  the 
best  of  us),  the  temptation  is  to  stand  it  back 
upright  and  give  it  a straight  in  stake  and  tie. 
But  by  then  the  ends  of  the  stems  will  have 
already  curved  upwards.  When  you  stand  that 
daisy  straight  up,  its  flower  now  faces 
backwards.  Better  just  to  prop  the  stems  up 
halfway,  using  bamboo  stakes  pushed  in  at  a 
slant.  And  do  it  in  a series  of  layers  (sort  of 
like  how  beauticians  foil  hair).  This  works 
especially  well  for  Siberian  iris.  Understaking 
at  a slant  is  good  for  tired  lady’s  mantles  and 
many  other  plants. 

I have  tried  metal  and  plastic  stakes,  but 
I always  come  back  to  bamboo,  even  though 
it  is  only  good  for  a year  or  two  before  it 
rots.  And  I have  trained  myself  to  hit  the 
nurseries  early,  early,  early,  before  all  the  good 
bamboo  is  gone.  Good  bamboo  is  fat  and 
strong- — not  those  flimsy  little  sticks  that  snap 
at  the  slightest  pressure.  I load  up  with  several 
bags  of  bamboo  for  the  season. 

This  leaves  the  single-stem  type  plants,  like 
peach-leaf  bellflowers,  Asiatic  and  Oriental 
lilies,  and  the  prima  donnas  of  all  perennials — 
delphiniums.  In  these  cases,  a single  or  double 
stake  is  used.  If  you  can  tell  which  way  the 
spire  may  fall,  you  can  use  two  bamboo  stakes 
crossed  in  an  “X,”  such  that  the  stem  rests  in 
the  crotch  of  the  crossed  stakes.  And  garden 
stores  now  sell  “Y-bar”  stakes  that  are  quite 
useful;  these  are  metal  stakes  with  stiff  but 
malleable  arms  at  the  top.  The  pointed  stake 
is  stuck  in  the  ground  and  its  “arms”  are 
wrapped  around  the  perennial  stem.  But,  like 
their  peony  cage  brethren,  Y-bars  are  also 
subject  to  bent-leg  syndrome.  A single  bamboo 
stake,  set  straight  up  next  to  the  stem,  is 
perfectly  acceptable  in  these  situations. 

And  be  sure  to  have  on  hand  suitable  tie 
material.  Some  people  prefer  jute,  or  string.  I 


am  perfectly  happy  with  the  too-bright-green 
spools  of  twist  tie  that  are  sold  for  such 
purposes.  I attach  the  spool  to  my  tool  belt 
at  the  beginning  of  the  day  and  especially  like 
the  fact  that  the  spool  includes  the  cutting 
system.  In  the  future  I will  be  coming  out  with 
a line  of  “garden  wear”  that  includes  camou- 
flage-colored plant  tie  and  a quiver  for  bamboo 
poles,  adjustable  stakes  and  hoops.  The  “peren- 
nial tender’s”  tool  belt  will  have  a place  for  a 
tiny  hammer,  wire  cutters,  zip  tie,  a hand 
pruner  and  a water  bottle. 

It  is  the  delphinium  that  presents  the 
greatest  challenge  to  the  perennial  bed  tender. 
The  single  stakes  must  be  constantly  adjusted 
upward  and  retied  at  regular  intervals  all  along 
the  stem.  Almost  overnight,  it  seems,  the  flower 
spikes  shoot  up  to  well  beyond  the  last  tie 
point.  Then  rain  comes,  or  even  a tiny  breeze, 
that  snaps  the  stems  of  these,  the  most 
wonderful  blue  flowers  in  all  the  world.  You 
wake  up  to  a forest  of  fallen  blooms.  Tragic! 
The  smart  gardener  immediately  goes  out,  cuts 
them  off  and  brings  them  indoors  for  place- 
ment in  a vase.  So  call  an  impromptu  luncheon 
and  impress  your  friends  with  your  extrava- 
gant llower  arrangement.  Whenever  you  are 
grooming  your  perennial  beds,  remember  to 
cut  the  floppers  and  a few  others  to  take 
indoors. 

The  annoying  chore  of  staking  is  only 
exceeded  by  the  more  time-consuming  and 
annoying  chore  of  unstaking  at  the  end  of  the 
year.  All  this  stuff  has  to  be  disassembled  and 
the  dead  leaves  combed  out  by  the  New  Year. 
You  can't  just  leave  it  up;  it  would  look  like 
heck.  And  besides,  you  have  to  get  in  there 
and  weed  and  mulch  everything  before  it  all 
starts  growing  again,  which  is  happening 
sooner  every  year,  or  so  it  seems.  ^ 


Cass  Turnbull  is  the  founder  and 
spokesperson  for  PlantAmnesty.  She  is  the 
author  of  “Cass  Turnbull’s  Guide  to  Pruning” 
(2nd  edition,  Sasquatch  Press). 


Spring  2006  29 


A New  Flora — 

Just  in  Time  for  Spring! 


By  Brian  R 

'f  ugene  N.  Kozloff  has  a knack  for  telling 
Qyv  the  natural  history  of  our  region. 

In  “Plants  and  Animals  of  the  Pacific 
Northwest”  (University  of  Washington  Press, 
1976),  he  skillfully  introduces  the  keen 
amateur  to  the  native  flora  and  fauna  west 
of  the  Cascade  Mountains.  Still  in  print  30 
years  later,  this  book  has  proven  appeal  for 
a wide  audience.  Other  Kozloff  titles  on  the 
biology  of  Puget  Sound  and  surrounding 
seashore  have  achieved  similar  classic  status. 


Thompson 

So  there  was  great  anticipation  amongst 
plant  enthusiasts  for  “Plants  of  Western 
Oregon,  Washington  & British  Columbia,” 
released  in  late  2005  by  Timber  Press. 
Happily,  this  book  does  not  disappoint. 

However,  this  is  not  a plants-only  narra- 
tive in  the  style  of  Kozloff’s  earlier  “Plants 
and  Animals.”  Nor  is  it  a pocket  field  guide. 
Instead,  after  a helpful  and  extensive  intro- 
duction, over  400  pages  of  this  hefty  book 
present  a series  of  dichotomous  keys,  or  step- 


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and  Plant  Sale 
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Late  Spring  Garden  Open 
and  Plant  Sale 
May  19  and  20 


Natives  of  the  Northwest 
and  Around  the  World 
June  23  and  24 


Hydrangea  Daze 
at  Heronswood 
July  21  and  22 


Autumn  Garden  Open 
September  22  and  23 


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30  Washington  Park  Arboretum  Bulletin 


by-step  choices  based  on 
either/or  descriptions,  that  lead 
the  reader  to  the  correct  identi- 
fication of  a plant  in  hand. 

Typically  known  as  “Floras,” 
these  books  provide  a compre- 
hensive review  of  nearly  all  the 
plants  to  be  found  within  a 
defined  region. 

Key  Features 

The  keys  make  this  new 
Kozloff  book  suitable  for  those  who  use  the 
tried  and  true  “Hitchcock,”  the  field  name  for 
the  five-volume  “Vascular  Plants  of  the  Pacific 
Northwest,”  and  its  one- volume  condensation 
by  C.  Leo  Hitchcock  and  others,  published 
between  1955  and  1973  (see  sidebar  for  full 
citations).  It  can  also  be  compared  to  the 
“Handbook  of  Northwestern  Plants”  by  Helen 


M.  Gilkey  and  La  Rea  J.  Dennis. 

Kozloff  acknowledges  his 
debt  to  these  earlier  works,  but 
there  are  several  differences. 
First,  he  restricts  this  volume  to 
plants  growing  west  of  the 
Cascade  mountain  range. 
Second,  this  Flora  contains 
completely  new  research,  based 
on  Kozloffs  studies  in  the  field 
and  on  herbarium  specimens. 
Of  the  2500  species  covered,  no 
more  than  50  descriptions  are 
based  on  secondaiy  sources. 

Additionally,  Kozloffs  skill  at  narrative 
text  is  used  to  good  effect  throughout  the 
keys,  particularly  when  compared  to  the  often 
ciyptic  and  heavily  abbreviated  Hitchcock. 
While  you  would  never  read  this  book  from 
cover-to-cover,  browsing  finds  a wide  range 
of  interesting  information,  including  the 


'JmSm 


PLANTS  of  Western  Oregon, 
Washington  & British  Columbia 

EUGENE  N.  KOZLOFF 


BLUESTONE 

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Spring  2006  31 


subjects’  geographic  and  habitat  preferences, 
propagation  and  cultivation  requirements,  and 
conservation  and  invasive  plant  concerns. 

Some  350  line  drawings  augment  the  text, 
many  used  with  permission  from  Hitchcock. 
While  I wish  there  were  more,  the  lack  is 
addressed  by  over  700  good  photographs — 
many  taken  by  the  author. 


Audience 

At  $65.00,  “Plants  of  Western  Oregon, 
Washington  & British  Columbia”  is  not  a 


Northwest  ( 

Flower  &r  Garden 

Show 

The  Arboretum  Foundation 
thanks  the 

Northwest  Flower  & Garden  Show 
for  support  of  the  Preview  Gala. 


Mark  Harman 

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casual  purchase.  Over  500  pages  in  hardback, 
its  size  and  weight  restrict  field  adaptability. 
But  for  the  student  of  botany,  the  native-plant 
enthusiast,  or  even  gardeners  who  have  a 
strong  interest  in  our  native  plant  palette,  this 
is  a home  or  laboratory  reference  work  that 
will  remain  important  for  many  years. 

The  introduction  itself  is  worthy  of  separate 
publication — especially  as  a guide  to  using 
identification  keys,  wherever  they  may 
appear — and  is  worth  visiting  the  Elisabeth  C. 
Miller  Library  or  another  library  to  read.  Kozloff 
is  a very  clear  writer  and  is  careful  to  define 
his  terms,  promising  “relatively  few  terms  not 
already  in  your  vocabulary  are  used  here.” 

Kozloff  intentionally  keeps  the  book’s 
range  and  scope  fairly  small,  including  only 
vascular  plants  west  of  the  Cascade  crest  and 
north  of  the  Oregon-California  border  through 
southern  British  Columbia.  The  specifics  are 
described  in  a chapter  entitled  “Geography 
and  Geology,”  and  notable  is  the  inclusion 
of  the  Siskiyou  mountain  range  and  its 
250-some  endemic,  serpentine-loving  plants — 
plants  that  are  typically  excluded  from  other 
comprehensive  treatments  of  Pacific 
Northwest  flora. 

The  author  clearly  states  his  goal  to  be 
comprehensive  within  the  region,  intending 
“to  include  all  native  plants  that  a diligent 
botanist  has  a reasonable  chance  of  finding.” 
He  also  includes  “well-established  weeds”  but 
cautions  that  this  list  is  constantly  changing. 


Other  Recent  Guides 

For  fieldwork,  or  simply  walking  in  the 
woods  while  spring  wildflowers  are  peaking, 
any  of  several  field  guides  will  help  with  the 
basics.  The  best — covering  the  region  also 
addressed  by  Kozloff  but  excluding  south- 
western Oregon  and  adding  southeastern 
Alaska — is  Pojar  and  MacKinnon’s  “Plants  of 
the  Pacific  Northwest  Coast.” 

This  book,  published  in  1994,  with  a 
revised  2004  edition  featuring  a weather-resis- 


32  jo  Washington  Park  Arboretum  Bulletin 


tant  cover,  intersperses  photographs,  descrip- 
tions and  habitat  of  major  species  with  notes 
on  less  prominent  relatives.  Where  needed, 
keys  are  provided  to  untangle  particularly 
tricky  plant  groups,  such  as  the  many  “yellow 
daisies”  of  the  sunflower  family. 

Another  comprehensive  but  not  well- 
known  Flora  is  the  recently  published 
“Illustrated  Flora  of  British  Columbia,”  edited 
by  George  W.  Douglas  and  others.  In  eight 
volumes,  this  is  even  less  field-portable, 
although  it  combines  keys  with  a descriptive 
format  more  typical  of  a field  guide.  Published 
by  the  British  Columbia  provincial  govern- 
ment, this  work,  understandably,  is  fashioned 
for  a wide  audience,  including  land  managers 
and  others  not  primarily  focused  on  the  plant 
life.  Nearly  every  genus  is  accompanied  by 
a detailed  line  drawing,  and  descriptions 
don’t  overwhelm  with  detail. 

In  Summary 

While  “Plants  of  Western  Oregon, 
Washington  & British  Columbia”  is  a depar- 
ture from  Kozloff’s  earlier — but  worthy 
—natural  history  narratives,  his  skill  as  a 
writer  is  clear,  even  in  the  restricted  format 
of  a descriptive  Flora.  This  makes  it  an  impor- 
tant consideration  for  every  plant  lover’s 
library,  especially  here  in  the  Pacific 
Northwest. 


Brian  R.  Thompson  is  Curator  of 
Horticultural  Literature  at  the  Elisabeth  C. 
Miller  Library  of  the  University  of 
Washington  Botanic  Gardens. 


Bibliography 

Douglas,  George  W.,  Gerald  B.  Straley,  Del  Meidinger 
and  Jim  Pojar.  “Illustrated  Flora  of  British 
Columbia.”  8 volumes.  Victoria:  British  Columbia, 
Ministry  of  Environment,  Lands  and  Parks,  1998- 
2002.  ISBN:  0772636850,  $330.00  for  set. 


Gilkey,  Helen  M.  and  La  Rea  J.  Dennis.  “Handbook 
of  Northwestern  Plants.”  Corvallis:  Oregon  State 
University  Press,  2001.  ISBN:  0870714902,  $34.95. 

Hitchcock,  C.  Leo  and  Arthur  Cronquist.  “Flora  of  the 
Pacific  Northwest:  An  Illustrated  Manual.”  Seattle: 
University  of  Washington  Press,  1973.  ISBN: 
0295952733,  $55.00. 

Hitchcock,  C.  Leo,  Arthur  Cronquist,  Marion  Ownbey 
and  J.  W.  Thompson.  “Vascular  Plants  of  the 
Pacific  Northwest.”  5 volumes.  Seattle:  University 
of  Washington  Press,  1969.  ISBN:  0295739835, 
$375.00  for  set. 

Kozloff,  Eugene  N.  “Plants  of  Western  Oregon, 
Washington  & British  Columbia.”  Portland:  Timber 
Press,  2005.  ISBN:  0881927244,  $65.00. 


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