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PDN Newsletter Archives 2009

February 2009

One of the most intriguing physiological reactions to cold weather is how evergreen plants change the pressure in their cell walls to cope with low temperatures. It's interesting to venture out on very cold mornings to see plants such as aspidistra, trillium, and rohdea appear as small piles of melted blackened mush. Once the temperature rises, however, the cells return to normal, the stomata (leaf breathing apparatus) reopen, and the plant miraculously bounces back. Gardeners in colder climates have no doubt noticed this on rhododendrons, which similarly curl their leaves on cold nights to reduce water loss.

For those who have pushed palms past their recommended zones, you may be seeing some damage now in regions which have experienced near normal winter temperatures for the first time in many years. Three types of palm damage occurs ... foliar burn, spear pull, and the call of the grim reaper.

Foliar burn occurs when the foliage turns a sickly pale grey green ... usually about 3-4 weeks after the freeze event. Some very tender palm foliage will turn brown the morning after the freeze, but this is much less common. Trachycarpus latisectus and T. martianus are good examples of palms that we grow as dieback perennials. These damaged leaves will not recover, but the plant should resume growing normally in spring. I would not cut the damage leaves until the growth resumes vigorously during spring. In our experience, spear pull usually occurs without widespread leaf burn. In this case, a slight tug on the new growth results in the top few developing leaves coming out in your hand. In most cases, the plant will survive. I prefer to leave the damaged spear leaves intact until spring, when they can be removed to allow air to reach the damaged tissue and prevent rot. Some growers find a fungicide helpful, although I have never resorted to this. To prevent damage, some palm growers like to clothespin the new leaves together which seems to help. The older a palm gets, the less likely it is to have spear pull damage, which is why some palm growers prefer to grow them indoors until they reach a 3-5 gallon size. Since we grow only small-sized palms, we plant ours at a smaller size and consequently experience more spear pull until the plants gain some age. Palm death is pretty easy to recognize as a complete tissue meltdown, resulting in a pile of mush and the accompanying smell of rotting plant flesh. That being said, if there is any doubt, leave it alone ... it doesn't cost anything to wait until spring and see.
 Trachycarpus page

We have spent much of the last decade assembling an excellent array of hellebores and in 2006, we added a Winter Open House to showcase these and other wonderful plants that strut their stuff in the winter garden. Instead of starting our own breeding program, we relied on the work of others including John Elsley of SC, Dick and Judith Tyler of VA, Dan Hinkley of WA, Ernie and Marietta O'Byrne of OR, and John Massey of Ashwood Nursery in the UK. We pick outstanding selections from these breeders work, and plant them together in the garden. We find by planting color forms about 20' from each other, we can lessen (not eliminate) cross pollination between colors.

After flowering, hellebore seed is gathered in June and July and sown immediately in containers of potting soil ... fresh sowing is very important for good germination. Unlike many other seed, hellebore seed will not germinate until it has been subjected to cold temperatures (stratification). We leave hellebore seed pots outdoors until they begin to germinate ... usually early-mid January for H. x hybridus. These seedlings are then transplanted at the two leaf stage into cell packs where they remain for a couple of months, at which time they are shifted up into 1 qt pots. The key is to push the hellebores at this early stage to get as much growth as possible while the weather is cool, since hellebores go into a semi-dormant state in summer. The more growth you get in early spring, the better the chance of them flowering the following spring. Because of the cool temperatures in the Pacific Northwest, they are able to get a much higher percentage of plants to flower during the first season than here in the Southeast.

In summer, it's just a matter of keeping the hellebores alive in containers ... a real chore in the Southeast. One secret we discovered is to switch to an aluminized shade cloth compared to the typical black shade cloth. Even with the same percentage of shade, the aluminized cloth keeps the greenhouse nearly 10 degrees cooler, so the plants actually survive the summer. Before we switched shade cloth types, we would loose between 90 and 100% of our entire hellebore crop during the summer. Regardless of your economics, it's hard to make money that way. We lost so many hellebores before we switched, we probably still haven't broken even on them.

In late fall, the hellebores begin growing again and we typically expect to get 10% to flower the first season and the remainder in season two. Starting a couple of years ago, we switched our emphasis to grow plants that have flowered before we sell them. As I mentioned, this usually requires keeping the plants for an extra season and also includes the time required to sort through all the hellebores on a weekly basis during the flowering season and group them by flower color. Granted, the economics are probably better to sell the plants before flowering, but we hope the added value is worthwhile to you as a gardener.
 Hellebores page

As a homeowner, you can certainly allow the seed to fall from your hellebores and sprout in the garden, but keep mind it will generally take 3 to 4 years for these plants to flower and if you're looking for a particular color pattern in your planting scheme, this may not be the best idea. We hope you will enjoy our amazing selections. As a reminder, our Winter Open House this year is Friday and Saturday from 8 am to 5 pm on February 27 and 28 and March 6 and 7. Click here to find out more about visiting.

Another winter grower we got into in a big way about a decade ago are trillium. As we studied the genus, we realized two things ... first, most of the plants sold in the US were collected from the wild for sale and secondly, no one was focusing on the Southeastern species.

When outcry arose in the US about wild collecting trillium for sale, many of the commercial harvesters went underground and so, soon began a large business in trillium laundering. Plants were dug in the wild (usually Tennessee and Arkansas), then sold to large wholesale growers and brokers in Europe. The European growers operate on the military policy of 'Don't ask, Don't tell.' The trillium are then being re-exported back into the US, where there is plausible deniability and the trail of these wild collections have gone cold. I should add, however, that in most cases, trillium are anything but rare in the wild, and where land is being cleared or sustainably harvested, I see no reason why trillium could not be harvested and sold ... although that is not the direction we decided to head into.

As I mentioned, most of the collectors were only selling the 'northern' species including T. grandiflorum, T. luteum, T. erectum, T. vaseyi, and a few others. As we began to study trillium, we realized there were a number of species that were completely ignored. As a rule, most of these are the sessile type, which means the flower sits directly atop the leaf, as compared the pedicellate trillium, where a short stem (pedicel) attaches the flower to the leaf.

We began a series of treks through the southern states studying trillium and bringing back individual samples to grow and propagate. As you can imagine, this is a slow process since all trillium in our climate take 4 to 5 years to grow from seed. Each plant is hand-pollinated and then the seeds are sown directly in the ground after harvest. Like hellebores, the seed must be sown fresh. Four years later, seed from those plants are harvested and sown and four years later, we finally have enough to sell. We have even found that the rare solid-silver leaved variants, which we have found in almost all of the southern species, come amazingly true from seed. It is our belief that we now have the largest seed-grown commercial trillium production in the country. One of the advantages of growing tens of thousands of trillium is we are able to select some amazing seedlings which will then be propagated for introduction in the future. We hope you appreciate the time and energy involved in making these special plants available.

Of these southern trillium, the first to emerge in winter is Trillium underwoodii from the Florida Panhandle. For us this form of T. underwoodii emerges often in early January, and is amazingly resilient after cold snaps, including our recent 9 degree F freeze which found a few clones in full flower. Too many freezes when the plant is fully expanded will result in the foliage becoming tattered while also eliminating the possibility of seed. The second to emerge is T. foetidissimum, followed by T. ludovicianum in mid- to late-January. Next in line in late January is T. maculatum, the Florida Panhandle forms of T. lancifolium, and then the Gulf Coast forms of T. gracile in early February. The same species originating in a more northern locale maintains its genetics for later emergence even when moved. A classic example is the Alabama form of T. underwoodii, which emerges 2 to 3 months after the Florida form when grown side by side. Finally, Trillium decumbens, T. cuneatum, T. ooestingii break the ground in March, followed by the northerly forms of T. lancifolium and T. recurvatum in late March. Most of the early sessile trillium have emerged, before being joined by the first of the southeastern pedicellate species including T. pusillum in late March and T. catesbiae in early April. I know some of you wonder why we bother to put origin information on many of our offerings, but this often makes the difference between success and failure with these southeastern natives in some of the more northern climates. Over the years, we will continue to add a tremendous array of different species from different populations. If you would like to learn more about trillium, there are two great books on the subject. Trillums by Fred and Roberta Case, and Trilliums in Woodland and Garden: American Treasures by Don and Rob Jacobs.  Trillium page

If you're like me, you've recently sworn off news shows, since watching too much of the incessant gloom and doom serves as a self-fulfilling prophecy. In some good news, however, a recent study reported in the

UK Daily Telegraph, documented that: 'As little as 30 minutes a week tending the garden or allotment can dramatically improve men's performance in bed, according to the experts in the field. Digging, weeding or mowing the lawn for half an hour reduced men's risk of failing to live up to expectations in bed by more than a third, the survey found. Men who spend even more time in the vegetable patch can more than halve their risk of impotence, researchers at the Medical University of Vienna found in their study... Erectile function can be maintained even by low, regular physical activity, concludes the report. Energy expenditure of as little as 1,000 calories a week reduces the risk. Doctors should use these findings to encourage their patients to do more physical training and adopt a healthier lifestyle... The latest study, published in the journal European Urology, shows men do not have to be keep-fit fanatics to reap the benefits and need to burn just 1,000 calories a week. This reduced impotence by around 38 per cent, the research showed... Men who burned off up to 4,000 kilocalories a week saw their impotence risk drop almost 52 per cent.

In upcoming events (the same weekend as our 2nd Spring Open House), the Middle Atlantic Chapter of the American Rhododendron Society would like to invite you to 'Gardening at the Peaks' from May 8-10 at the Holiday Inn Tanglewood in Roanoke, Virginia. The meeting will feature tours of two amazing gardens, Paul James mountain garden just south of Ronoake along with the Glebe Hill garden of Gary and Carol Osbourne. If you haven't visited either of these gardens, you're in for a real treat. Paul keeps hinting about restricting tours of his world class plant collection (6000+ species), so this may be one of the last chances to see this amazing gardening treasure. In addition, the two speakers include Kristine Johnson of the Great Smokey Mountains National Park and Virginia's own garden writer and photographer extraordinaire Pamela Harper. To register for the meeting, contact Sharon Horn at oldturnpikefarm@gmail.com or by phone at 540.350.2666.

Those involved in wholesaling or retailing perennials, no doubt know the name Dale Hendricks. Dale and his business partner Steve Castorani started Pennsylvania's North Creek Nurseries in 1988 (the same year PDN started) as a wholesale source of perennials, with a focus on US natives. As of December 30, Dale has retired from the business and sold his ownership stake to his business partner, Steve. As part of Dale's mid-life crisis, Dale tells me he realized that he enjoyed the plants rather than running a business that had become very large and extremely successful ... a common problem among ex-hippies. Along with spending more time with his family, Dale has already started a small backyard business called Green Light Plants to organically grow a few special plants for his former business. Dale will also be spending time on the board of the Community Gardens of Chester County, and in his spare time will continue speaking and doing nursery consulting. Even if you've never heard of Dale before, you have no doubt grown some of his plants or felt his considerable influence on the horticultural world. If you see a display that says 'American Beauties' at your local garden center, that's all thanks to Dale. From all of us at PDN, we'd like to salute Dale and wish him the best of luck in his new life.

While we're giving out pats on the back, we'd like to also congratulate plantsman Hans Hansen of Minnesota for winning the first Todd Bachman Award, (named after the nursery CEO killed at the 2008 Beijing Olympics), given by the Minnesota Landscape Association to someone under 40 years old who has demonstrated innovation in business, marketing, horticultural production, floral, or landscape practices in the horticulture industry. Hans has spent the last 17 years as manager of the tissue culture lab of Shady Oaks Nursery in Minnesota. Hans is a pioneer in working with many tissue cultured plants, being the first to successfully culture variegated agaves, arisaemas, and a number of other plants as well as being the first to tetraploid hosta in vitro. His hosta introduction are consistently ranked among the top in the field. He has also participated in a number of plant exploration trips, resulting in many of the plants you find in the pages of our catalog. Embarking on a new phase of his career, Hans departed Shady Oaks in fall and will be joining another firm by spring. We offer our heartfelt thanks for all of Hans's work and wish him best of luck in his new venture.

If you've created or discovered the next million dollar plant and don't know where to turn to get started, one of the important steps, once you determine that your plant is a good candidate for the market, is to obtain a plant patent. There are a number of avenues from using a patent lawyer to using a patent agent with a wide range of prices. A large number of the new perennials hitting the market are being patented by a small firm in Minnesota, run by a friend and former Minnesota nurserywoman and now patent agent, Penny Aguirre of Biological Patent Services. There are quite a few plants we offer whose patents have been handled by Penny, so if you find yourself in need of such services, you can contact Penny at pennyag@earthlink.net. We don't get any kickback from this, but are only providing this as one option with which we are very familiar.

Chances are you've never heard of the Keith Arboretum, but if you like woody plants, I'd recommend you fix that deficiency. I remember back in the 1980s when the late JC Raulston first led me to Charlie Keith's garden in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. JC was fascinated with the tree collection Charlie had assembled. Fast forward 20+ years when Mike Dirr finally made the pilgrimage, only to be equally as blown away by Charlie's collection. In fact, it was Mike who encouraged Charlie to preserve the garden for future generations, resulting in the establishment of The Keith Arboretum. If you're in the area, Charlie is looking for volunteers to help with labeling. You can find out more at www.keitharboretum.org. I hope you'll take the opportunity to learn more about this incredibly special world-class collection of trees.

If you keep up with national news, you may remember the December 19, 2008 construction accident at the Atlanta Botanical Garden. While under construction, a temporarily-elevated walk linking the garden to the adjacent Piedmont Park collapsed, killing one construction worker and injuring 18 others. An investigation is continuing, but the garden tells us the construction work will continue. As of mid-January, all of the injured men were out of the hospital and able to walk, with none suffering permanent brain damage. The garden in conjunction with the contractor, Hardin Construction Company has set up the Jonquil Fund to help the workers and their families. So far, over $70,000 has been raised. If you'd like to contribute to this fund, visit the gardens website at www.atlantabotanicalgarden.org.

Our condolences also go out to Lori Kordner and her family, in the death of her husband, Tim (age 49), who took his life on Jan. 21. Tim was a local radio and television gardening personality who ran a garden center known as Brewery Creek in Belle Plaine, MN for 30+ years and who regularly sold produce at the Minneapolis and St. Paul farmers markets. In addition, Tim had recently increased his focus on peonies when he purchased the entire breeding collection of intersectional peonies from retired peony breeder, Roger Anderson (P. 'Bartzella'). Tim's peony nursery, Century Oaks Peonies, was just on tour last summer with the American Peony Society.

Last month, I mentioned the death of Eddie McRae and that his wife Judith, ran her own lily nursery, but I got the name wrong. Her nursery is The Lily Garden and not The Lily Nook, which is a Canadian firm .... sorry.

While I'm correcting errors, crinum expert Jay Yourch noticed we had mistakenly used the wrong image for Crinum 'Summer Nocturne' in our spring catalog. The correct image is now on-line, but unfortunately, we can't change the printed catalog ... those darn gremlins.

Before I close, I'd like to remind everyone that February 15 is the deadline for entering our Top 25 contest for 2009. It doesn't cost anything to enter and you've got a chance to win our $250 gift certificate. Follow this link to the contest rules and entry form.

As with all businesses, 2009 is not getting off to a banner start for many of us in the nursery business as we brace ourselves for making for many sleepless nights and difficult decisions. Once again, we would like to sincerely thank those of you who have placed orders and plan to do so this year. We're working on writing descriptions for some new plants that will make their way onto the website shortly ... we'll send you an email when they're posted. Many nurseries are hanging on by a thread and unless business picks up soon, many of your favorites may not be around for future seasons.

Again, we thank you for your support!

Please direct all replies and questions to office@plantdelights.com.

Thanks and enjoy -tony

March 2009

We are also trialing a number of clumping bamboos including many in the genus borinda. All of the borindas have lost their foliage at 9 degrees F, including B. boliana which showed absolutely no damage at 12 degrees F, and despite West Coast reports of 0 degrees F tolerance without leaf burn. All plants in the genus bambusa also lost their leaves, but this was expected based on past experience. It will take a few months to determine if any of these will resprout from the canes or if they will need to be cut to the ground.

We've had several folks ask how our Wollemia nobilis fared in the cold this year, and the answer is fine. One plant showed a bit of foliar damage, but the other ten or so we've planted are untouched. The big problem with Wollemias is excess summer moisture, so be sure your soil drainage is impeccable. We've seen extensive foliar damage this winter on plants that haven't shown any in recent years, one being the hardy cycads. Both C. taitungensis and C. panzhihuaensis had complete leaf frying this winter, but both are fine at the base and will resprout in late spring. I like to leave the damaged leaves until the new leaves begin to emerge, but that's strictly a personal preference.

We're actually having a very late spring as some plants are more than a month later than normal ... which is a good thing. That being said, we're in that time of year when other plants insist on waking up too early, followed by more cold weather. We've already had several days in the 70s this winter and sure enough, here come the early emerging Arisaema ringens out of the ground. That would have been fine if our temperatures hadn't decided to drop back into the low teens. Podophyllum versipelle also peeked it's head above ground, but we expect it to get blasted at least 2-3 times each spring. To deal with early emerging plants, we use spunbound polyester row covers we cut to fit over each plant. The plants are covered with the row covers, then topped with a large container. Row covers vary in their thickness and consequently their amount of temperature protection. Typically a 1.5 ounce fabric provides 6-8 degrees of protection while 3 ounce material provides 10+ degrees of protection. Even the best row cover isn't much good below the mid-20s F. If you have the option to throw some shredded leaves over the row covers, that will provide added protection. The covers should be removed as soon as the weather permits. We store the cut row cover pieces during the summer so that they can be reused ... many for over a decade.

We added a few special plants to the web right before open house including some of our special Arum italicum seedlings. We have been growing these from seed to select special forms, then subsequently propagating our selections by division. In doing this, we wind up with far too many excellent seedlings that aren't unique enough from each other to introduce them all. This year we decided to offer these as a seed strain we call PDN Clouded Forms. They are different from the typical Italian arums in that instead of having marbled vein patterns, they have a silver center often flecked with green. At Open House this winter, I had a couple of folks comment about their arums spreading by runners to other areas of their garden. This is an oft perpetuated garden myth, since arums, like me and my bad knees, have no ability to run. When arums are allowed to set seed, birds can pick up the seed and deposit them anywhere throughout your garden. This is the only way arums can spread. If you get to the point where you have enough arums, simply cut off the flowers or developing seed between the time they flower in early May and the time the seed ripens in July. We hope you enjoy some of these special selections.
 Arum page

Related to arums is probably the strangest plant we grow, a plant known by the monikers, Pigs Butt Arum or Dead Horse Arum ... Helicodiceros muscivorus. This unusual Mediterranean native emerges in late winter and flowers in early spring before going dormant for the summer. The three-dimensional foliage is strange enough, but the flowers that resemble (and smell like) a pig's rear end, are truly bizarre, making a great gag gift for your gardening friends or a perfect way to get a non-interested child to pay attention to plants. We've only got a small number available this season, so get them while they last.
 Helicodiceros muscivorus (Dead Horse Arum)

One of the plants I seem to continually talk about in spring is ipheion and the related nothoscordums. If you haven't grown these, they are small bulbs that make a stunning late winter/early spring show, then go dormant in the summer. This year, we are offering for the first time, the white flowered Ipheion uniflorum 'Greystone' from NC's Norman Beal. I. 'Greystone' has smaller flowers than the white flowered I. 'Alberto Castillo', but makes a much more compact clump and for us has had heavier flowering. Nothoscordum sellowianum (used to be an ipheion) makes a short 1" tall fast offsetting clump topped, starting in February, with small bright yellow goblet-shaped flowers. Unlike most nothoscordums, this one is sterile, so you'll need to divide it if you.d like to share. We have this growing in our full-sun rock garden and I can't say enough good things about this gem.
 Ipheion uniflorum 'Greystone'
 Nothoscordum sellowianum

As we head into spring, we routinely check our garden soils for nutrient levels and soil pH. Before we mulch, we prefer to add any soil amendments if needed. If our soil needs phosphorus, we use rock phosphate and if the soil need potassium, we use Greensand ... a natural source of potassium. If you need to raise the pH of the soil, either calcitic lime or dolomitic lime will do the trick. If our soil test shows a high magnesium reading, we opt for calcitic lime. If you garden in an area with a high pH that you need to lower, then Flowers of Sulfur will do the trick. Once these are applied, then you're ready to mulch. Timing of mulch application can be a real time saver for weed prevention. There are basically three groups of weeds; winter annuals, summer annuals, and perennials. Mulching isn't of much use in preventing perennial weeds, but it can work wonders for many annual weeds .... especially if they require light for germination, which many do. Some winter annual weeds start germinating in fall, while others germinate best in late winter. Two most popular annual weeds in our climate are chickweed and henbit. A good mulch applied before they sprout works wonders on their control.

We've been asked by a number of customers to compile a list of plants resistant to deer, since these have become the number one pest of gardeners nationwide. We've hesitated to put together a list because we don't believe any plant is completely deer resistant and deer tastes, like human tastes, vary greatly. That being said, we spent quite a bit of time compiling our list from available research as well as observation from ourselves and our customers. Please keep in mind deer resistant plants may still get a nibble until the deer realizes it isn't one of their favorites ... even some humans eat things that many of us consider inedible ... i.e. liver or tripe. Our list of deer resistant plants as well as a list of plants to attract hummingbirds have been posted here. We welcome your input on additions or deletions.
Deer Resistant Plants
Plants for Hummingbirds

In the 'in case you missed it' category, you've got to check out the Floral Bras, compliments of the Quilters of SC that give a whole new meaning to sex in the garden. Actually, the bras will be on tour throughout South Carolina until fall, at which time they will be auctioned to benefit breast cancer patients. If you have a female gardener in your life who is hard to buy for, check these out.
Floral Bras to benefit breast cancer patients

In the 'where are they now' category, many plant collectors will no doubt remember Stephen Burns, formerly of the Vine and Branch Nursery in NC. Stephen was J.C. Raulston's go-to grafter for the odd and hard to graft woodies in the 1980s. Stephen and his wife Rhonda closed the nursery in the late 1980s and moved to SC, where he worked for years at Gilbert's Wholesale Nursery. From there, Stephen was called to the ministry, where he still works today.
Stephen Burnes at Restoration Church

The botanical garden world was surprised to hear of the impending retirement of Missouri Botanical Garden director Dr. Peter Raven, who announced he will be stepping down from his post at the end of July 2011. Peter has been the director at Mobot (as it is called in botanical circles) since 1971 (40 years in 2011). The news was such a surprise because most of us think of Peter as an ageless iconic figure that we all assumed would outlast the garden. Anyone with even a passing interest in plants has benefitted knowingly or unknowingly from Peter's legacy of work. Peter's devoted years to researching and publishing Floras of all the world's plants including the current Flora of China project, which would probably never have happened without Peter's vision and drive. Peter is married to the former Dr. Pat Duncan, an NCSU Horticulture Department graduate and former classmate of mine. You can read more about Peter and his list of accomplishments, awards, and philosophy at the links below.
Peter Raven at Wikipedia
Interview with Peter Raven

Thanks to David Theodoropoulos for alerting us to a great on-line seed germination reference. This publication from The International Board for Plant Genetic Resources is used by worldwide seed banks to assist them in germinating a wide range of unusual plants. This is not a homeowner guide, but one for scientists that requires a bit of seed germination knowledge to use properly and the information is amazing.
Seed Germination Guide

If you're in the greenhouse or nursery business, you are probably too familiar with the Modine family of heaters, which are the top brand of heaters in our industry. When we got started in the business, we checked out other heating options, which at the time were limited to Reznor and from our research didn't offer a dramatically better option. It wasn't that Modine was a bad heater, but in greenhouse applications, the heaters didn't have a very long life span, both due to the nursery moisture and fertilizer salt residue. I actually wrote to Modine several years ago expressing my concern and asking if they would work with us to develop a cover that would help protect the heaters in the summer when we removed our overwintering greenhouse covers. Unfortunately, they didn't even choose to reply. After decades of going through a warehouse of Modine parts, Bob Stewart of Arrowhead Alpines told me about the L.B. White brand of Guardian heaters. The White heaters are actually designed for hog production and not greenhouse use, but the beauty is their use in hog production is far more degrading than in a greenhouse. Not only is the cost about half of a comparable Modine heater, but the operation is much simpler, the heat output is variable, and the heater is far more resistant to degradation in outdoor conditions. The White heaters are also ventless, meaning you will not need the standard heat losing vent stack that you typically see extruding from the greenhouse sidewall. If you live in an area where the temperatures drop below the 20s and the heater will run continuously, you will need a small intake and outflow vent since the heater can actual suck all of the oxygen out of the greenhouse and extinguish the pilot light. If you've been looking f or a different heater for your greenhouse, check out these heaters.
White Heaters

After 21 years, the Northwest Flower and Garden Show in Seattle and the San Francisco Flower and Garden Show, the second and third largest flower shows in the country respectively, come to an end this year. Salmon Bay Events, which puts on both shows, is for sale by founders, Duane and Alice Kelly, who are retiring from the flower show business so Duane can start a new career as a playwright. Attendance at both shows has declined in recent years due to the economy. The Northwest Show has just ended and the final San Francisco Show will be starting soon. If you'd like to attend the last show, check out the Garden Show website for more details. For between $1,000,000 and $2,000,000, the shows can be yours, so if you know anyone looking to buy a flower show, give Duane a call.

My speaking schedule for the remainder of the season has been updated. I look forward to meeting you when I visit your region for a program.

As many of us in the mail order industry struggle for survival, we'd once again like to say a heartfelt thanks for those who have ordered this year... Thank you!

Please direct all replies and questions to office@plantdelights.com.

Thanks and enjoy -tony

April 27, 2009

We've just added some more plants to the on-line catalog including the very rare variegated shredded umbrella plant, Syneilesis 'Kikko'. As always, most of these gems are only available in limited quantities, so don't delay. They are integrated into the main on-line catalog or you can find the new additions listed separately.

It was great to have our friends Carl Schoenfeld and Wade Roitsch from Yucca Do visit a few weeks ago along with encyclopedic Texas nurseryman Pat McNeal. We have long worked together to trial plants in each other's climates, so it was interesting for them to see the damage that occurs to woody lilies when temperatures drop into the single digits F. Yucca Do has recently completed their move to Giddings, Texas, about 1.5 hours west of their former location outside of Houston. The old property was sold to the Peckerwood Garden Foundation, which will allow Peckerwood to expand their gardens as well as have more parking. You can read more about the Yucca Do move at www.yuccado.com/themove.htm.

It's been a busy spring.... just not as busy as we would have liked. It was great to have visits from an array of groups including most recently the Carolina Gardener Symposium as well as attendees from Southeast Palm Society meeting in Raleigh.

Last fall, I had the pleasure of meeting and lecturing with Lucinda Hutson of Austin, Texas. Lucinda is a delightful person; a combination artist, designer, and chef. Lucinda has published several cookbooks as well as an array of articles in addition to her career as an interior/exterior designer. You can get an idea of Lucinda's exuberant style and possibly book her as a lecturer through her website at www.lucindahutson.com.

If you're out and around North Raleigh on Tuesday May 5, I'll be presenting a free gardening seminar at 7pm at the North Raleigh Library at 7009 Harps Mill Road. If we have a good crowd, I'll consider doing more of these in the future. No registration is necessary, but the library phone number is 919-870-4000. Bring your gardening questions and problems; I hope to see you there.

Obviously, the big upcoming events for us are our two Spring Open Nursery and Garden weekends on Friday - Sunday, May 1-3 and May 8-10. We will be open from 8am-5pm on Friday and Saturday and 1-5pm on Sunday. There is so much to see that we truly wish everyone could visit and enjoy the gardens for themselves. Just walking through the gardens now is a sensory delight. Not only are the colors and textures a thing to behold, but the exuberant fragrances are just amazing. From banana shrubs to phlox to dianthus, it's amazing what fragrances plants can add to your garden. At Open House, not only can you see how plants should grow in the garden, you will no doubt leave with a cartload of ideas, inspiration, and hopefully a few cool plants. This year, one of our largest agaves ( Agave salmiana v. ferox 'Logan Calhoun') has sent up a huge flower spike, which should be close to fully open, so come and enjoy a phallic moment with us in the garden. Directions can be found on our website.

One of the many challenges of running a nursery is predicting what will sell and in what quantities. Sometimes we hit the target, and sometimes we miss as bad as a North Korean missile launch. There are many factors that determine how well a plant sells, but the most important is the photograph ... hence the reason many mail order catalogs pay professional photographers to take studio shots that often use dozens of plants which are then 'cut and pasted' to make one photo. A particular favorite is the commonly used mail order photo of Arum italicum showing the arum seed heads with leaves inserted from a calla lily. I don't know about you, but I've got a problem trusting folks who use doctored photos, but then they probably laugh at our meager sales. Another key factor in determining sales is photo placement ... did you realize the location of an image on a page can double or triple sales of that item? That being said, here are our top 10 list of great plants for 2009 that didn't sell as well as they should have .... consequently, we have some really nice ones remaining.

1.  Agapanthus 'Back in Black' ...must be the photo, as it's a really cool plant.
2.  Agave guiengola 'Creme Brulee' ...we possibly saturated the market last year, but this is a really amazing potted specimen.
3.  Colocasia 'Blackwater' - this narrow leaf C. 'Fontanesii' has evidently been overshadowed by the great new John Cho hybrids.
4.  Colocasia esculenta 'Hilo Bay' - this overshadower has the most distinctive leaf, but is the worst seller ... really hard to capture this well in an image ... bummer.
5.  Cypripedium parviflorum v. pubescens - the high cost of 7 years production time has unfortunately put this plant out of reach this season for many economically impaired gardeners. It should have sold much better ... very disappointing. Disappointing, heck ... this means I'll have more for my own garden.
6. Epimediums, especially  'Pink Elf',  E. x youngianum 'Tamabotan',  E. x versicolor 'Cherry Tart' and  E. grandiflorum 'Pierre's Purple'. So, do we just have too many eps? These are all great selections and 'Cherry Tart' is just delightful, but for some reason, folks just won't buy it. E. 'Pink Elf' ... one of only three patented epimedium in the world ... very floriferous ... must be the darn photograph.
7.  Fargesia denudata - do people really trust that there are clumping bamboos when disreputable nurseries are selling Phyllostachys nigra (black bamboo) and claiming it to be clumping ... which is it not. Perhaps folks want all bamboos to be 30' tall ... and they are really hard to photograph well. I wish you knew how hard it's been to get these into the trade.
8. Hostas ... geez, is it the deer or too much to choose from? A new hosta will sell really well, then when collectors get their fill, sales drop off for the next 2-5 years until regular gardeners realize how great they are. Disappointments for 2009 include

    H. 'Appetizer' ... a really nice dwarf;

    H. 'Applause' ... which looks like a clump of hands clapping;

    H. 'Cathedral Windows' ... an incredible sport of  H. 'Stained Glass';

    H. 'Deliverance' ... ok, the movie connotation probably did this one in;

    H. 'Electrocution' ... so where are you gardeners with the sick sense of humor?

    H. 'Landslide' ... it's a photo thing along with leaves that aren't round and cupped;

    H. 'Mango Tango' ... it's as nice as  H. 'Stitch in Time', but the name just doesn't have the same ring;

    H. 'Parasol' ... we thought the name on this H. 'Blue Umbrellas' sport was perfect, but you must not have agreed; and

    H. 'White Wall Tire'; ... sold great last year, but is a dud in 2009 ... must be the Detroit crash that has affected this one.

9.  Malvaviscus 'Pam Puryear' ...something about a pink turk's cap just didn't find a niche in the market.
10.  xHeucherella 'Alabama Sunrise' ...okay great name, great photo, great plant .... guess I'll need to call the psychic hotline to figure this one out.

Speaking of hostas, our staff suggested we let you know which containers of hostas are obscenely huge and need a good home, so here's the list of those that would make instant clumps or are so dividable you can immediately get into the nursery business.

In other news, we reported last month the Northwest Flower and Garden Show and the San Francisco Flower and Garden Show were both being phased out unless a new owner stepped forward. The latest news is Duane Kelly has two different parties interested in purchasing and continuing the shows. No final decisions have been made, but at least there is hope. In the Southeast, the Southeastern Flower Show in Atlanta is taking a temporary hiatus for 2010, while it re-evaluates the financial commitments required to put on its annual flower show. There is still no word on when or if the New England Flower Show in Boston will ever resume, since the financial mess there is still to be resolved and their bills from the 2008 show remain to be paid.

We were saddened to learn of the passing of plantsman Alex Summers of Bridgeville, Delaware on Sunday, April 11. Summers, 96, was a founding member of the American Hosta Society in 1968 and served as president for the first decade of the society's existence. Alex was also a keen gardener as anyone who has visited his garden knows firsthand. Alex was preceded in death by his wife Gene, but is survived by his son Alan. Instead of sending flowers, the family asks donations be made to the American Hosta Society.

We lost another giant of the plant world on April 12, with the passing of Dr. Thad Howard of Texas at age 79. Thad is best known for his extensive work with bulbs for hot climates, though his numerous plant expeditions into Mexico, and for his 2001 book, Bulbs for Warm Climates (University of Texas Press). I was fortunate to visit Thad at his home in May 2003 and take him on a ride though Texas to visit other bulb greats such as Crinum guru, Dave Lehmiller, the wonderful Yucca Do Nursery, and to meet another Texas crinum guru, Marcelle Sheppard for the first time. It was truly a trip that I.ll remember for the rest of my life. Thad also was a mentor to a number of young men, who later went on to become bulb experts in their own right including Steve Lowe of Tejas Bulbs, and garden writer/lecturer Scott Ogden.

As always, thanks for taking time to read our rants and most of all, thank you so much for your support and orders this year!

Please direct all replies and questions to office@plantdelights.com.

Thanks and enjoy -tony

May 2009

Our heart goes out to the staff of the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden in California, which suffered extensive damage to both structures and the garden in the recent wind-driven Jesusita Fire. The gardens, which focus on California natives, are outstanding if ever have the chance to visit. We hope they can get reopened soon. You can read more about their damage in this news release.

May was the first month since last September that we have seen near normal sales levels and we can't thank you enough. It was great to see so many of you here for our Spring Open House including a tour bus of wonderful gardeners from Utah, along with visitors from Germany, Russia, and China. It was also great to meet Keith Ferguson, retired Deputy Keeper of the Kew Herbarium and his wife Lorna, who even dropped by from the UK. The May Open House brought many first time visitors, whom we hope to see again in the future.

It was great to have Sally Walker drop by for a visit recently and to see her in good shape after hip surgery. Sally is co-owner of Southwest Native Seed, a small company based in Tucson that sells seed of plants native to Arizona. Sally has quite a horticultural background, having worked at nurseries such as Jack Drake's Alpine Nursery in the UK and later for Marshall Olbrich at California's famed Western Hills Nursery. Sally and her husband Tim have operated their seed business for 30+ years .... sorry no website or telephone.

Spring Open House visitors were treated to an amazing sight as four of our agaves are nearing flowering. These include Agave salmiana v. ferox 'Logan Calhoun', Agave lophantha (three spikes), A. striata (many spikes), and Agave parviflora. We've already started making crosses, although reaching the top of the 25' tall A. salmiana spike has proven problematic ... i.e., I don't relish the idea of falling off a ladder and landing on something with that many spines. At least my pole saw allows me to sever flower clusters so they can serve as a pollen donor for the shorter-spiked species. It looks like we'll also have a flowering overlap with several manfredas, as well as pollen from a xMangave 'Macho Mocha' that just couldn't wait, thanks to magnolia specialist, Pat McCracken.

Congratulations are in order for NCSU Plant Breeder Dr. Tom Ranney for winning the American Horticulture Society's Marc Cathey Award for 'outstanding scientific research that has enriched the field of horticulture'. Tom's released hybrids include Calycanthus 'Venus' along with the creations of two new bigeneric genera xSchimlinia floribunda (Schima x Franklinia) and xGordlinia (Gordonia x Franklinia). Many more exciting plants are in the pipeline.

I'm sure many of you know Bob Lyons, either from his days at Virginia Tech, as former JC Raulston Arboretum Director, or now as Graduate Coordinator for the Longwood Gardens program. On May 9, Bob's home exploded and burned to the ground in a gas-leak fire. Bob was outdoors at the time, while the gas company was searching for the leak. Bob lost all of his possessions including his computer, camera, books, and collection of 15,000 slides. Fortunately, his digital images were saved on an off-site backup (let this be a lesson to us all). Bob tells me that his Plant Delights order was sitting on his deck at the time and the plants were not as heat-tolerant as promised. The plants can be replaced, but thank goodness, no one was injured. Longwood has provided Bob housing until he can recover. Here is a link to a UDaily article with images of the fire.

I mentioned in an earlier newsletter, that Bob Stewart of Arrowhead Alpines had been diagnosed with late-stage colon cancer. Although Bob's chemo treatments continue, he tells me his tumors have shrunk and his treatments are proving very effective. We are thrilled at the news and wish Bob, Brigitta, and their family the best of luck in his continuing battle.

In another update from the world of horticulture, Fred Case, author of two excellent books, Trilliums, and Orchids of the Western Great Lakes Region is recovering at home after surgery for a severe aortic aneurism. Fred is suffering from limited mobility, but is improving all the time. Fred does still sneak out of the house and drive his golf cart around the garden when medical personnel aren't around. You can read more about Fred at the Timber Press website and if you'd like to send get well wishes, address them to Fred at 7275 Thornapple La., Saginaw, MI 48609-4259.

Our condolences go out to gardener and author Bob Nold of Colorado in the death of his wife of 27 years, Cindy Nelson-Nold, who passed away suddenly of an apparent heart attack. Bob has two wonderful books to his credit, High and Dry: Gardening With Cold-Hardy Dryland Plants, and Penstemons. Cindy's photographs and illustrations grace the pages of Bob's books.

It's been one of those springs that makes it hard to sit indoors at a desk, but at least I have the excuse of needing to take photos. I could write about something exciting in the garden every day, but due to time constraints, I'm limiting myself to once a month. We're just wrapping up the early hymenocallis flowering and I sure wish more of you would try these gems. I think most folks get turned off by hymenocallis after trying the hybrids [mostly with the South American H. narcissiflora (aka: Ismene calathina) hybrids] typically sold by the Dutch, which, frankly don't make great garden specimens. You will be so much more pleased with either the US or Mexican species. For us, the first to flower is H. liriosme, a clumping Gulf Coast species followed by H. traubii, a spreading species from Florida. Next in line is Hymenocallis pygmaea ... a dwarf spreading species from here in North Carolina. Hymenocallis can be grown in typical garden soil, but they go really nuts when planted in a very moist site or a boggy situation. The white spidery flowers typically open around 4pm and are deliciously scented to attract pollinators ... and gardeners. The next round of hymenocallis, which come later in the season are equally as wonderful. See the hymenocallis listed in our catalog.

One of my favorites that just finished flowering is the wonderful Aruncus 'Misty Lace'. I've always loved the light airy nature of aruncus, but just couldn't find many that would survive our hot, humid summers. This Allan Armitage introduction performs fabulously and has become a favorite in the late spring garden. See the aruncus catalog page.

Also flowering now are some of the late season Jack-in-the-pulpits. Four of my favorites are the tall stately, Arisaema tortuosum, A. consanguineum and A. heterophyllum along with the shorter, but very cute white-flowered Arisaema saxatile. A. heterophyllum, A. consanguineum and A. saxatile all offset and form nice clumps, while A. tortuosum remains solitary. Each of these species perform better in a light-filtered shade to several hours of full sun and in soils that don't stay too wet. See the arisaema catalog page.

Arisaemas are members of a group of plants known as aroids, which include common house plants like philodendron and spathiphyllum. Other hardy family members that are outstanding now are the zantedeschias, known by the common name of calla lilies. Zantedeschia aethiopica is actually a winter grower, which in our climate keeps getting killed to the ground during the winter, but quickly regrows once the frosts end and is still in full flower. Z. aethiopica only comes in white (and a faintly pink-tinted selection). It's hard to beat two giant-spotted leaved selections, Z. 'Hercules' and Z. 'White Giant'. I've tried the commonly sold Z. aethiopica 'Green Goddess' and 'Pink Persuasion' but neither has performed well in our climate. This is the season where the cool winter growing Z. aethiopica overlaps with the warm season species that flower through the summer. My favorite of the summer bloomers has to be Z. 'Picasso', whose white-edged purple flowers have just started to open. Visit the calla lilies in our catalog.

Another superb plant in the garden now are the early- to mid-season daylilies. One of my personal favorites that we just added to the catalog is Hemerocallis 'FreeWheelin'. In daylily circles, these types are known as spider flowers for their very long petals. I'm always amazed at the number of folks that don't realize daylilies make great plants for wet soils. We have long been growing them as pond marginals alongside Louisiana and Japanese iris where they prosper in boggy conditions. If you have such conditions, give daylilies a try there. See more daylilies in our catalog.

For those who entered our Top 25 contest to compete for the $250 worth of plants, here are the results though late May 2009. The list changes each month, so if your picks don't show up near the top yet, don't despair. The Top 25 has been shuffled a bit since last month as Colocasia 'Thailand Giant' retook the top spot in a throw down tussle with Echinacea 'Tomato Soup', while Colocasia 'Mojito' edged ahead of Syneilesis into 3rd place. Big movers for the month include Dianthus 'Heart Attack' which leapt from 15th to 8th place, Salvia chamaedryoides moved from 18th to 14th, and Euphorbia 'Nothowlee' from 26th to 16th. Rohdea japonica and Tiarella 'Pink Skyrocket' both appeared out of nowhere to jump to 17th place and 20th respectively. We hope your choices are faring well as we countdown to the contest winner in December.

As always, thanks for taking time to read our rants and most of all, thank you so much for your support and orders this year!

Please direct all replies and questions to office@plantdelights.com.

Thanks and enjoy -tony

July 2009

We're in the final stages of readying the 2009 Fall catalog and part of that annual process is reducing the size of our mailing list. This is done when our computer automatically eliminates anyone who has not placed an order in the last two years. Obviously, we don't want to delete you if you would like to remain on the mailing list, so we have a special designation that allows non-customers such as garden writers, neighborhood gardening gurus, or folks who otherwise are fans of PDN and help promote the nursery. If you fit into this category and don't always purchase every couple of years, please let us know so that we can code you correctly to keep you on the mailing list. If all goes well, the fall catalog supplement should go in the mail during the first week of August. In the meantime, we'd love for you to join us for our Summer Open House. We've just finished the first weekend and would love to see you join us this weekend for our final Open House until September.

As I work in my garden this summer, one of my annual chores is to examine the increase of shade throughout the garden. So often, we don't notice the gradual decline in plants growing in a shade garden until the plants have shrunk to nothing, or in extreme cases, died completely. This decline is due to several factors, including a lack of adequate irrigation, and/or an increase in the amount of shade that is being cast by the trees above. Unless you are really observant, it is hard to imagine how much large trees grow each year. Since tree sizes aren't static, it doesn't take long for an area which has the ideal amount of filtered shade to become too dense for much of a herbaceous understory layer to survive.

First, realize most true woodland plants are spring ephemerals, meaning they get in their entire life cycle by the time the trees leaf out. In order to get plants that remain looking good in the woodland throughout the summer, we have to use prairie or woodland edge plants such as hosta and hellebores that will tolerate shade. There are very few of these plants that actually thrive in dense shade, including the likes of asarum, aspidistra, ruscus, and many ferns. To keep these woodland 'interlopers' happy, you'll need to keep the canopy open so that filtered light can penetrate.

Try and train yourself to consciously watch plants whose size gets smaller each year instead of larger or whose growth becomes more spindly. The answer to the increasing shade is to raise the canopy of the shade by removing some of the lower tree limbs or to selectively thin the limbs. To keep a shade garden in good shape, this must be an annual process. I like to do this in late spring / early summer when I can tell how much shade a tree is producing after it has finished its spring growth flush.

Obviously, to remove limbs, you'll need a good pole saw ... either a manual or motorized type. I had always used manual pole saws like you find in the box or hardware stores. Several years ago, frustrated by the poor quality and lack of durability of these saws, I began researching to see if there was a better brand available. My research led me to Silky Saws. Silky Saws sell an array of high quality Japanese made pruning saws. For large overhead limb removal, I purchased a 21' Hayauchi pole saw. To say the difference between what I had been using was night and day would be the understatement of the year. You're not going to easily bend, break, or dull the blade with this baby. I had also been frustrated by never being able find a pole saw long enough to reach the tallest limbs until I bought my 21' Hayauchi saw. After several years, I can still say this is one of the finest gardening tools I've ever owned. You can find these and many other great pruning saws at www.silkystore.com/ You'll never go back to cheap saws again.

The other problem with woodland gardening is the amount of moisture required by large trees, which research indicates ranges between 50 and 200 gallons per day. If you aren't supplementing your woodland garden with water, your herbaceous plants will suffer. Selective pruning as I mentioned earlier will also help to reduce the amount of water that the large trees require.

Many folks who visited this spring were concerned about the amount of winter burn on their agaves, after one of the coldest winters in more than six years. I explained that by summer, the growth rate of the agaves would render the damage as a distant memory and sure enough, visitors to our Summer Open House have commented on how good the agaves looked. Remember, the key to growing agaves is to keep them dry in the winter and grow them on a slope. In damp winter climates north of Zone 7, I'd recommend sinking four pieces of rebar around the clump in early winter and placing a piece of fiberglass (or similar material) atop the rebar. This works to keep moisture out of the crown in the winter months.

We always like to have a vigorous pollen exchange around the garden and this year's target was arisaemas and agaves. We had very good luck with our agave x manfreda crosses this year as well as our arisaemas. We hadn't made many arisaema crosses in recent years, but because our Arisaema fargesii x heterophyllum cross that we made nearly a decade ago looks so nice, we thought we'd try our hand again. Despite setting good seed on our crosses, there are many years ahead before we'll be able to see these flower.

In our neck of the woods, this is the time to keep an eye out for seed production in the garden. In our part of NC, rain lily seed are produced rapidly after a rain and are usually ripe within a week of flowering. Rain lily seed are best sown fresh on the surface of the soil and do not store well. Arum seed are also ripening here, so if you don't want critters spreading arums around your garden, now is the time to cut them off. I hope you've gathered your hellebore seed by now if you're in the South or you'll have a 'ring around the lenten roses' next spring. I recommend gathering the seed just as the pods begin to turn yellow and before they turn brown. Hellebore seed also germinates far better when sown fresh. The seed will be shiny black when ripe and can be surface sown (not covered) in a well-prepared soil bed or in containers.

One of the plant groups that is of great interest to us are hardy gladiolus. While virtually all of the recently introduced hybrids are bred not to overwinter, that is not true of many of the older hybrids. We have found several that are rock hardy here in Zone 7 and are hearing more and more reports of cultivars that are hardy as far north as Zone 4. We'd like to hear reports back from those that have purchased glads from us and have overwintered them north of Zone 7. We'd also be very interested if you have any other old glad that you grow which has also been cold hardy north of Zone 7. We already grow popular cultivars such as G. 'Boone' and G. 'Dauntless'. I was very excited to speak with Dr. Neil Anderson of the University of Minnesota this winter, who is breeding (and having luck) growing gladiolus in Zones 3 and 4. We will be continuing to add more to our list since we find these both exceptional plants for summer bloom as well as for cut flowers.

In the nursery world, the recent big news is the sale of Yoder Brothers. Yoder Brothers is the country's largest producer of chrysanthemums. If you've purchased a mum in the last few decades, it more than likely came from Yoder Brothers. Yoder has sold their entire mum and aster division to Syngenta Flowers of Switzerland, who will continue to produce and sell mums under the Yoder name. The old Yoder Brothers will continue to produce perennials and other crops under the name Aris.

I mentioned last month that plantsman Hans Hansen had left his long term job at Shady Oaks Nursery in Minnesota and I'm glad to report Hans has landed in Michigan at Walters Gardens, where he joins the likes of C.H. Falstad and Kevin Hurd as part of their plant breeding team. Walters Gardens, a large wholesaler, now joins Terra Nova as one of only a few perennials wholesalers with an entire team of plant breeders. There are a number of new plants in the pipeline and we look forward to watching them hit the market in the future.

In a surprise move perpetuated by the economic meltdown, the worlds authority on amorphophallus, Wilbert Hetterscheid, lost his job when Wageningen University in the Netherlands closed its botanic garden where Wilbert has been the Curator/General Manager since 2003. We were honored to have Wilbert visit PDN in 2006 to lecture on his favorite group of plants. Wilbert is looking at other options, hopefully within Holland, and will be relocating his amorphophallus reference collection. If you've been looking for an amorphophallus expert, Wilbert is your man. Good luck!

I also mentioned Southwest Native Seed last month and had forgotten that they actually do have a website now, so thanks to a reader for reminding me. Their website is www.southwesternnativeseeds.com

We were saddened to learn that rain lily guru, John Fellers of Alabama passed away on July 8 at the age of 87. John had probably done more research on rain lilies than anyone else in the history of the bulb world. His writings on the subject made a tremendous contribution to our wealth of knowledge including an upcoming article that will be published shortly by the International Bulb Society. Unfortunately, John never released any of his crosses to the commercial market.

For those who entered our Top 25 contest to compete for the $250 worth of plants, here are the results though mid July 2009. The list changes each month, so if your picks don't show up near the top yet, don't despair. There were only a few big movers over the last month, including Spigelia marilandica which jumped from 9th to 4th place and Allium 'Millennium' which jumped from 19th to 15th. We hope your choices are faring well as we countdown to the contest winner in December.

As always, thanks for taking time to read our rants and most of all, thank you so much for your support and orders this year!

Please direct all replies and questions to office@plantdelights.com.

Thanks and enjoy -tony

September 2009

We're almost ready for our Fall Open House that begins soon and we hope to see both many of our regular gardening friends, as well as many out-of-towners that haven't visited in a while. The greenhouses are chocked full of great looking plants, just waiting for you to select your favorites. We've got a special guest this year who will be here to greet Open House visitors ... yes, it's the barrel monster. Unless you were hiding under a rock or in Iraq for the last few months, you've heard the story of a NC State student who creatively rearranged traffic barrels at a road construction site into the now world famous barrel monster. If you did miss it, you can find out more at www.thebarrelmonster.com.

Our staff is also busy potting many new plants for the spring catalog. Unlike many mail-order nurseries who don't actually grow their own plants, such is not the case at PDN. Growing our own plants allows us more control over timing, quality, and trueness to name. There are only a few plants we aren't able to produce in our climate and some others where the patent owners limit the production of liners. We'll spend the next month analyzing sales figures from this year to determine which plants have earned their way back into the catalog and which will be relegated to an on-line offering only. Then, we'll look at the pool of new plants we have selected and try to guess which ones will generate enough income to also make it into the print catalog. We're getting our crystal ball professionally cleaned before the process moves into high gear.

We hope you're enjoying our fall catalog supplement and finding some cool new plants that you can't live without. A couple of errors crept into the catalog for which we'd like to apologize. First, Phlox 'Triple Play' actually is from iris breeders Jan Sacks and Marty Schafer of Joe Pye Weed Gardens and not from Darrell Probst (they're all friends and neighbors). We apologize for the incorrect information. Also, the liners we purchased of Crocosmia 'Walcroy' turned out to be another cultivar, so we have pulled them from the sales area until we get the correct plant re-propagated. If you are one of the eight folks that purchased this during our July open house, give us a holler so we can get the error corrected.

One of the many cool plants from our fall catalog is the breeding breakthrough, Tom Ranney's Hydrangea arborescens 'Spirit'. If you'd like to read more about its development, . I had the fortune of spending a couple of days with Tom Ranney recently, looking through his amazing breeding creations. Tom is getting closer to a release time for his hybrid x Gordlinia grandiflora (gordonia x schima). Meanwhile, his work continues on sterile miscanthus and even hybrids between miscanthus and sugar cane (saccharum/erianthus) ... who knew? There are a number of other amazing plants including some wild mahonia hybrids, but I don't want to get you too excited too early. If you have the opportunity to hear Tom speak about his amazing breeding work, don't miss the chance.

Another interesting trip this month was to the home of the late rain lily guru, John Fellers. I was presented with the opportunity to help salvage some of John's breeding work. I wasn't quite prepared for what I found when I arrived ... a greenhouse with nearly 10,000 pots of rain lilies, each labeled with a nonsensical code. John was a code breaker in WWII and obviously truly loved his craft and consequently, managed to leave us with a puzzle that will take months ... maybe years to solve. Due to John's declining health, his rain lily collection had declined dramatically in vigor, so it will take a couple of years to regrow the plants to flowering size so we can figure out what we have. Our goal is to share John's breeding stock with other rain lily breeders, which will hopefully lead to more new rain lilies for our gardens.

For those who haven't heard, Mike Dirr's new Manual of Woody Landscape Plants (2009) has just been published by Stipes Press, replacing the 1998 version. I'll direct you to Stipes website www.stipes.com - but be warned, their website is so old and outdated it doesn't even have a shopping cart. One thing is for sure ... they don't believe in spending a lot of money on marketing. While you're ordering, you'll also want to pick up the most recent edition of Allan Armitage's Herbaceous Perennials, also revised and released last year.

If you're planning to attend the Garden Writers Association meeting here in Raleigh in September, we are pleased to announce that Hawaiian elephant ear breeder, Dr. John Cho will be at the PDN morning tour to talk to attendees about his breeding work and show you around the colocasia trials here at Plant Delights. We've spent this week together deciding which selections make the final cut, so don't miss this great opportunity.

Another local event not to be missed is the JC Raulston Arboretum Green Industry Reunion. JCRA Director, Ted Bilderback has invited all past students of the NCSU Horticulture Department along with anyone who was involved with the arboretum to attend a party on Friday October 9, from 5-9 pm. Ted promises a barbeque dinner and fun for all, while reconnecting with folks you may not have seen for a while. For more information or to register ($50 each), call or e-mail Anne Porter at (919) 513-3826 or anne_porter@ncsu.edu.

On a sad note, another retired Director of the US National Arboretum has passed away ... also in North Carolina. Dr. John Creech, 89, of Columbus, NC passed away after a period of declining health. Dr. Creech retired from the Arboretum in 1980, and moved back to the mountains of NC. His legacy includes a number of plants he introduced to the trade including a sedum bearing his name and the well-known southern staple, Lagerstroemia fauriei that he collected on one of his early plant expeditions. Memorials can be made to the Western North Carolina Arboretum, 100 Frederick Law Olmsted Way, Asheville, NC 28806-9315 or Hospice of the Carolina Foothills, 130 Forest Glen Drive, Columbus, NC 28722.

There continue to be a number of changes in the world of horticulture ... many the result of the economic downturn. Northwest Bulb and Perennial of Oregon, one of a handful of wholesale producers and distributors of perennials has been sold to a competitor, DeVroomen of Holland. DeVroomen has their US headquarters in Illinois and will use the Oregon operation to grow domestic perennials. Former Northwest Bulb owner, Rene Heuermann is now a DeVroomen employee.

In other plant people news, plantsman John Elsley has departed as Director of Horticulture for Klehm's Song Sparrow mail order nursery in Wisconsin. John tells me he doesn't have any specific new projects in mind, but is open to offers. If you're interested in John's services, just drop us a note and we'll put you in touch.

Also in the mail order world, Carroll Gardens of Westminster, Maryland has closed their doors according to President Alan Summers (son of the recently deceased American Hosta Society founder, Alex Summers). Carroll Gardens always had an amazing listing, although on line chat groups didn't always find the customer service to match their amazing offerings. Another small, but delightful nursery, Canyon Creek has also closed their doors to mail order.

While many nurseries are struggling to keep their financing in place, this will not be a problem for Monrovia Nurseries based in California, who secured $100 million in working capital from GE Capital Markets. Do you ever wonder what the interest payments would be on $100 million dollars? ... it's certainly beyond my comprehension.

In other some good news, The Northwest Flower and Garden Show has been purchased by O'Loughlin Trade Shows, who will continue to operate the show. O'Loughlin Trade Shows is a producer of consumer shows that already operates the Portland and Tacoma Home and Garden Show. The San Francisco Flower & Garden Show was also sold, but to a different group of business investors from the Bay Area.

The Southeastern Flower Show is also back in action for 2010 after taking a sabbatical in 2009. The 23rd annual show is scheduled for the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta, GA from February 4-6, 2010.
www.flowershow.org
The sponsoring organization, the Southeastern Horticultural Society is also holding a fund-raiser next month at the garden of Vince and Barbara Dooley. Known as "Coach" to his friends, Vince became enamored with plants, thanks in large part to Dr. Mike Dirr, who became a close friend during his tenure at the University of Georgia. Vince was the football Coach at the University of Georgia for 25 years before becoming Athletic Director. The event will be held on Sunday, September 13 from 5-8 pm at the Dooley home in Athens, GA. You can find out more about tickets at www.sehort.org.

Many of you may be familiar with the late NC garden writer Elizabeth Lawrence, who was a true horticultural pioneer/plant nerd in the Southeast US. Alan Bush, founder of the former Holbrook Nursery in NC, wrote a wonderful piece about visiting Elizabeth that you can find by clicking here.

And in case you missed it, there have been increasing incidents of the use of manure causing toxic effects on plants, even after the manure has been composted. The common thread seems to be if the animals have eaten hay treated with the herbicides Milestone, Forefront, or Grazon. Typically, the active ingredients from most herbicides are either broken down by the animals' digestive system or during the composting process, but this is not the case with this group of chemicals. As it turns out, these chemicals degrade best with exposure to light, but in the meantime, their use may kill valuable ornamentals. Obviously, we all need to perform due diligence to track down the source of our composts. click here for an article [pdf] about this problem.

As always, thanks for taking time to read our rants and most of all, thank you so much for your support and orders this year!

Please direct all replies and questions to office@plantdelights.com. To Subscribe, Unsubscribe, or change your email click on www.plantdelights.com/mailinglist.html. Thanks and enjoy -tony

October 2009

September was a busy month at Plant Delights, not only with our Fall Open House, but also with a visit from 655 of America's top garden writers as the group descended upon the Raleigh-Durham area for their annual convention. It was great to meet so many folks at the nursery whose names I'd only heard, including the infamous owner of Burpee seed, George Ball. Dan Hinkley later told me that George was probably looking for more land to purchase. Not to worry... we don't have any for sale. The weather cooperated, everyone was in good spirits, and a great time was had by all... except perhaps those involved in the post-convention bus trip mishap. To read a wonderfully unique perspective about the bus travails check out The Grumpy Gardener. Our sincere thanks to our local site chairman Pam Beck, the local organizing committee, and for those attendees who took time to visit PDN in person and make the convention such a success.

Do you have your 2010 calender started yet? Mark down Sunday, October 10 - Wednesday, October 13 when the International Plant Propagators Society Southern Region pulls into Raleigh for its annual convention. This is our first opportunity to welcome the group to our area and we hope you will make plans to join us for a super meeting. IPPS is an international professional society dedicated to propagating plants and sharing propagation information. Students, as well as anyone actively involved in plant propagation, are welcome to attend the meeting. Not only will the nursery and garden tours be top notch, but the list of speakers is a virtual "who's who" in the nursery and academic field. Headquarters for the meeting will be the downtown Sheraton Raleigh, so save the dates, and we'll update information about the meeting as it evolves.

Because of some major changes in the show, I'd also like to mention our upcoming NC State Fair Flower Show, which runs from October 15-25. For those who may not know, I spent my first 16 years after college working for our NC Fairgrounds, with our flower show being one of my main focuses. I've now been gone for 15 years and to say the show had gone downhill would be an understatement. I'm very excited, however, about this year's NC State Fair Flower Show, now under the direction of retired NC Master Gardener Coordinator Erv Evans. Erv took over the management of the show this spring and has already made an amazing transformation on the way to returning the show to its former splendor and beyond. If you haven't been in a few years, I hope you'll make time to check out the changes. You can find out more about attending at The NC State Fair website.

As I mentioned last month, we're all faced with budget cuts this year, except for many of the fruit/vegetable and the annual color producers, many of which have had record years. I've previously detailed some of the industry casualties and this month we add Monnier's Country Gardens in Oregon to the list. Ron & Debbie Monnier ran an amazing nursery which specialized in fuchsias, featuring an incredible listing. It's always a great loss when such a specialist nursery closes its doors.

Not only has the economic downturn hit nurseries, but also some botanic gardens are feeling the pinch. Due to the economic lunacy in California, the entire staff of the University of California Santa Cruz Botanic Garden has been laid off. Donations are currently being sought to keep the garden functioning. It's a shame that folks in positions of authority don't realize the difference between collections of living plants and other programs that can be temporarily shelved and then restarted. If you are in a position to help, visit the arboretum's website to see how to donate to the "Save the Staff Fund".

In other bouts of lunacy, this week I received a most disturbing national survey from the folks at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Texas. I've always been a big fan of the center, so I was truly appalled at the moronic survey they sent. The center has obviously been hijacked by a bunch of brainwashed, koolaid-drinking eco-Nazis that wouldn't know science if it bit them in the backside. It's people who perpetuate these out and out lies that cause the general public to dismiss real science-based environmental issues. Let me give you a few examples. The opening letter reads "Gardeners and growers, often seeking show-off plants, import misplaced species without any awareness of their environmental impact. As a result, we've imported plants, like kudzu and loosestrife, overrun natural areas, while others have just taken more water and energy than they deserve."

Hmmm...more water and energy than they deserve? What exactly does that mean and who was anointed to decide that? Kudzu... imported without any awareness of it's environmental impact? I don't think so. Few plants have been as widely researched as kudzu, which was studied by our Federal Government (the folks behind the bailout), who then encouraged its widespread planting all because of its known environmental impact.... it grew where little else would and held the ground from washing away. European loosestrife actually behaves well as a garden plant until it comes in contact with our native loosestrife and it is their offspring that have become the poster child for the botanical ethnic cleansing crowd.

If that's not enough, here are more examples of the actual survey questions.

2-"Were you aware of the economic benefits of using wildflowers as opposed to other readily available plants, as listed below? They use less fertilizer, use less pesticide, and require less maintenance."

Those statements are so moronic, it's hard to know where to start. Native plants, as a group, DO NOT use less fertilizer, they DO NOT use less pesticide, and they DO NOT require less maintenance. These statements are patently false. For all plants, it's about using the right plant for the right place. With proper soil preparation, no plant ever should need chemical fertilizers! If any of these statements were true, then native plants would be running wild and there would be no issue with invasive plants.

4-"Were you aware of the environmental benefits of using native plants as listed below? The absorb CO2 (carbon dioxide) and produce Oxygen. They attract beneficial wildlife such as bees and songbirds. They conserve water resources and prevent water pollution. They create natural habitat landscapes around buildings that provide energy savings."

Again, where to begin with such mindless drivel? Note to whoever wrote this ... even 3rd graders know that almost all plants regardless of their nativity absorb CO2 and produce Oxygen. Many foreign born plants are much preferred by bees and songbirds than many of our natives (read the study on the "invasive" Chinese tallow tree), and plants regardless of where they are from can produce energy savings when used correctly. As for preventing water pollution, research has shown that few plants can rival a good lawn in this regard.

I'm sure the person who wrote this letter and survey is well-intentioned (probably a big assumption), but surely someone with some measure of common sense should have proofread this garbage before it was sent out as a national survey. We are passionate about native plants... not because they are somehow better, but because they some are truly great plants. I have spent the last eight years serving on our North Carolina Plant Conservation Scientific Committee, and it is junk like this that undermines our science-based efforts to protect endangered native species. Folks, please stick to the science! Now, dismount from the soapbox and let's get back to more plant stuff.

In our crop monitoring last month, we were shocked to find an infestation of foliar nematodes on our crop of Buddleia 'Blue Chip'. Foliar nematodes are problematic not only because they damage the foliage and therefore the plants vigor, but they also spread by splashing water to surrounding plants.
click for more informaition on foliar nematodes

Buddleia 'Blue Chip' is one of the few plants that we do not propagate ourselves due to the contract with the patent owner and the contracted grower. When our plants arrived in late spring, we didn't detect a problem, but as it turned out, the contract grower had sprayed the plants with chemicals which masked the foliar nematode symptoms, making them impossible to detect initially. After growing the buddleias in our warm climate without regular spraying, the nematode populations regrew to levels which caused the symptoms (brown interveinal chlorosis) to be expressed.
click here to see foliar nematode damage

We have visited two large wholesalers who grow Buddleia 'Blue Chip' and the plants they received are infested also. We know that the contract grower started with clean plants, so the infestation more than likely occurred in their propagation facility due to poor pest monitoring. We know that all plants which we received after May are infested, but we are unsure about the plants we received last fall and shipped out early this spring. We have clean stock plants in our garden and have stuck cuttings from these. As soon as this new crop is ready, (probably spring 2010) we will replace all plants shipped this year. Just to be on the safe side, we recommend destroying all Buddleia 'Blue Chip' plants received from us this year. The other option is to have your plants checked by your state Department of Agriculture. Please let us know if you would like a refund, credit, or replacement when the new plants are ready. We apologize for this unacceptable occurrence and appreciate your help as we get this situation resolved. Since all plants sold in the US are coming from the same grower, you should also question your retailer if you purchased Buddleia 'Blue Chip' from someone else.

One other smaller screw-up to report was with Hedychium densiflorum 'Stephen'. The label on our garden specimen had been moved and the wrong plant was subsequently propagated. Again, we are re-propagating the correct clone and these will be available in spring 2010, so please contact us to get a replacement, credit, or refund.

If you're one of those who think that the only cool flowers in bloom now are pansies and garden mums, boy are you missing out on some great garden plants! The cool nights of fall have reinvigorated many summer flowering plants, while a number of others are just starting their season of bloom. The ginger lilies (Hedychium) have put on their best show of the summer now that the blooms don't fade as quickly in the 90 degree plus heat. Their deliciously scented flowers are truly super during a garden stroll. Other similar plants for delicious nocturnal fragrance are the angel trumpets (brugmansia), which like the gingers love the fall weather, when they flower like crazy.

Dahlias are another perennial whose best season in our climate is fall. Yes, they look good from spring through summer, but they are simply superb in fall as their floriferousness multiplies. Ditto for the native malvaviscus, whose summer-long display of mini-hibiscus flowers are still produced in extraordinary abundance. I still feel I haven't raved enough about the heat-loving, winter hardy fuchsia hybrids from Japan. The poorly named Sani-series are truly one of the most amazing horticultural break-through that I've ever seen... still in full bloom after an entire summer of flowering.

Hardy geraniums, such as G. 'Rozanne' are also still in full flower along with most of the salvias, especially the S. gregii types, S. guaranitica, S. regla, S. leucantha types, and any of their hybrids. Lest I forget, the amazing abutilons are another plant genera that flowers through the summer, but just explodes in bloom when fall arrives.

When thinking of plants that are only fall bloomers, the toad lily, Tricyrtis hirta, is the first one that comes to mind. Certainly toad lilies aren't the only fall bloomers, so consider the likes of aconitums, Cuphea micropetala, the native Clinopodium georgianum, and my personal favorite, rostrinucula.... a plant that should be in every fall garden, but probably won't sell until we change to name to something more recognizable like a 'salvia' or perhaps hire it a better PR firm.

Other not-to-be-missed plants that only strut their stuff in fall includes most of the native goldenrods (Solidago), the native swamp sunflower (Helianthus angustifolius), the fall flowering native Coreopsis helianthoides, and a wide array of native asters (frankly we don't care that the evil empire of taxonomy no longer considers them true asters). Come to think of it, they can kiss my Symphyotrichum.

Two of the most beautiful of all of the ornamental grasses are also just coming into full flower. If you want to 'Super Size' your garden, Saccharum arundinaceum is a grass for you, with 12' tall pink plumes appearing now. If you need something a bit smaller, Muhlenbergia capillaris 'White Cloud' is hands down the most elegant grass we grow. The only downside is that it doesn't flower for us until now, when most garden visitors have departed for the season. If you already enjoy the typical pink-flowered version, the white-flowered form is even better.... simply indescribable.

We're still enjoying good blooms on many of our favorite geophytes as we move into October. The amazing hardy cyclamens, especially C. hederifolium is still in full flower, despite having been flowering for months. Gloxinia 'Evita', which grows from a small rhizome, also continues to flower with its blazing, fluorescent orange-red blooms. On a larger scale, xAmarcrinum 'Fred Howard' simply loves fall weather, as it produces stalk after stalk of fragrant pink flowers.

For those who entered our Top 25 contest to compete for the $250 worth of plants, here are the results though early October. Echinacea 'Tomato Soup' has widened the lead over Colocasia 'Thailand Giant', looking to be the first plant in nearly 5 years to steal the top spot away from the elephant ear. One of the big movers was the fall-flowering Muhlenbergia capillaris, which jumped from 19th to 16th place. The two real shockers for the October list were two plants that only appeared in the fall catalog, Agave bracteosa 'Monterrey Frost' at 17th and Hydrangea 'Spirit' at 20th. It's very rare for a plant that only appears in fall to be able to crack the top 30. When we calculate the winner of the Top 25 contest, these plants will be excluded since they did not appear in the spring catalog.

We hope your choices are faring well as we countdown to the contest winner in December.

As always, thanks for taking time to read our rants and most of all, thank you so much for your support and orders this year!

Please direct all replies and questions to office@plantdelights.com.

Click here to Subscribe, Unsubscribe, or change your email.

Thanks and enjoy -tony

November 2009

If you've been delaying placing your final order for 2009, our shipping season is drawing to a close. The week of Nov 30-Dec 4 represents your last chance to have an order shipped until we start up again in mid-February. That being said, we will do what we can to accommodate horticultural emergencies that crop up in the interim time. With the holidays rapidly approaching, we can help your shopping chores with a Plant Delights Nursery gift certificate for those plant lovers in your family. You can order by phone, mail, or on-line 24 hours a day at www.plantdelights.com/Catalog/gifts.php

We are thrilled to have been featured in the current issue of Total Landscape Care magazine. If you're into that sort of thing, you can read the on-line version at www.totallandscapecare.net and click on "View the Current Digital Version".

It's been a relatively calm weather year in the Southeast, despite hurricane models and global warming alarmists predicting the opposite. We were actually blessed to have the remnants of Hurricane Ida pass through the area last week and leave us with nearly 5 inches of rain ... our recently installed drainage system in the new garden section got a great test. While we were starting to get a bit dry before the rain, folks to the south and just west of us had the opposite problem this year.

Our friends in the Atlanta area had endured four years of drought, but on Thursday October 15, Georgia's Lake Lanier, which provides water to Atlanta, finally rose above the full mark for the first time since September 2005. The recent record droughts had dropped the lake level down to its historical lows of 18.9' below full on December 28, 2007. Many residents of Atlanta had given up hope that the lake would ever refill completely, but finally, gardeners and nurseries in the area can breathe a sigh of relief as the lake is now 2' above normal.

Denver also got their share of moisture this fall, only in the frozen form. On October 29, a massive front dropped 18"-24" (more in surrounding areas) of snow on the Denver Colorado and adjacent areas. That would put a serious dent in your fall gardening. This is the most snow ever recorded for October in Denver ... I'm sure manmade global warming must have caused it.

As I've mentioned in the past, this is the season we spend nearly every waking minute working on the new catalog. We just passed the three-week period we refer to as "hell weeks," where life as we know it ceases to exist; due in large part to a series of rapid-fire catalog deadlines. The text is now completed, the photographs are all selected, and the catalog is in the midst of design layout. If all goes well from here, catalogs will go in the mail on January 1.

Because of the catalog, I haven't had much time recently to spend in the garden, which is a shame because we've had a wonderful fall and only a tiny corner of the garden has been frosted. This means we are enjoying the flowers on both the giant tree dahlia, as well as the giant Hibiscus mutabilis. We love both plants because of their wonderful structure and height in the garden, despite not getting flowers every year due to early frosts.

Another perennial that isn't recognized enough for fall flowers are the wonderful farfugiums (leopard plant). Although they are normally grown for their unusual foliage, there are few plants better for a fall floral show. Many folks may only get a few flowers, and this is due to growing them in too much shade. To get the best floral display, site your plants where they get a couple of hours of sun during the day and grow them in soil that stays reasonably moist. If you do, you'll be rewarded with a stunning fall array of 3' tall spikes of attractive yellow daisies that rival any garden mum.

If you hadn't noticed, we're pretty particular about nomenclature, and to that end, we'd like to pass along a few discoveries this fall that will change a couple of currently used cultivar names. First, Farfugium 'Jitsuko's Star' turned out to be an old Japanese cultivar, F. 'Yaezaki' and similarly, Ophiopogon 'Little Tabby', was discovered to be a Japanese cultivar, O. 'Haku ryu Ko'. We apologize for the incorrect listings, but planting plants isn't the only thing that requires lots of digging.

When I first got hooked (not literally) on agaves, I was frustrated at the amount of good information about the genus, so in 2004, we invited 10 others with similar interest to rendevous in California for what we dubbed, "Agave Summit I." Since that time, the interest in agaves has risen dramatically and last month, a group of 30 of us met again for "Agave Summit II," this time outside San Diego. The purpose of our meetings is to present differing views on agave nomenclature, discuss the newest discoveries, share techniques of agave culture, and trade plants. It is through this amazing underground network that many new agaves make it into the pipeline toward commercial production. It is our hope to continue with these meetings every 4 years as the interest in agaves continues to grow.

If you happen to be reading this near the Raleigh area, we are lucky to welcome, Dr. Nick Turland of the Missouri Botanical Garden to the JC Raulston Arboretum to speak on Thursday, November 19 at 7:30pm. Nick is the co-director of the massive 50-volume Flora of China Project and will be speaking about his efforts in putting together such an epic work. I'm sure anyone interested in the Flora of China Project will find this program fascinating. To find out more, visit the JC Raulston Arboretum website.

If you're in the Minnesota area and looking to purchase a ready made woodland garden ... in Minnesota, you are in luck. Hosta breeder and plantsman, Hans Hansen, who moved to Michigan earlier this year has put his Minnesota house and 5-acre garden on the market. I had the pleasure of visiting many times, what I think is one of the finest private plant collections in the country, and I truly hope a plant person can call this garden home. Hans' collection of nearly 2,000+ hosta varieties including lots of seedlings, 200+ different peonies, 100+ daylilies, a huge Martagon lily collection, a wonderful collection of clematis and other rock garden plants, and a spring carpet of trout lilies is just the beginning. It's not even possible to list the extensive collection of plants you'll find when spring arrives. Visit our gallery where I have posted a few photos I took this summer. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity that is not to be missed. To find out more, go to www.erahome.com and search for 15605 Snake Trail, Waseca, MN 56093.

The horticulture world was saddened recently as we learned of the passing of Rarefind Nursery owner and founder, Henry 'Hank' Schannen, 71, on Wednesday, September 16. Hank is survived by his wife, Virginia, and three daughters, Karen Schannen, Lisa Schannen and husband Howard Kohler, Dawn Schannen and husband Darren Kindred. Hank had been feeling poorly for a few weeks and actually died in the hospital parking lot where he was being taken for more tests. Hank, with the help of a great staff, created an amazing nursery, with a primary focus on Rhododendron and companion plants. Hank has been active in the Rhododendron Society for 40+ years and had introduced a number of his own hybrids, such as R. 'Solidarity', R. 'Hank's Mellow Yellow', R. 'Golden Globe', and R. 'Purple Elf'. The staff has committed to carrying on Hank's vision by continuing the nursery. We send them our condolences in Hank's passing and good luck with the future of the nursery.

We were also saddened to hear of the passing of Texas horticultural legend, Madeline Hill, at the ripe young age of 95. Madeline was the author of, Southern Herb Growing, and past president of the Herb Society of America. Madeline was a tireless promoter of herbs, traveling the country as one of their top ambassadors and to that end, she received a wealth of honor including having the US National Arboretum Knot Garden dedicated in her honor in the 1980s. I'll remember Madeline for two of her great rosemary introductions, R. 'Hill's Hardy' and R. 'Arp'. Although we never met in person, I always valued our fascinating and informative phone conversations.

To follow up on my diatribe from last month about native plants being better adapted than non-natives, I'm posting research from Ed Gilman, Professor of environmental horticulture at the University of Florida. One of Ed's research conclusions is, "One of the results that we noted was that there are no differences between native and non-native species for amount of water required for establishment," Gilman said. "This often surprises people, but it emphasizes that the Florida-friendly principle -- right plant, right place -- is worth following." To read the entire research write-up, go to hort.ifas.ufl.edu/irrigation..

We're nearing the end of the 2009 Top 25 contest to compete for the $250 worth of plants, here are the results though mid-November. It looks like Echinacea 'Tomato Soup' has knocked Colocasia Thailand Giant out of the number 1 position for the first time in 5 years ... without a great comeback in the last couple of weeks. The only other big movers are two plants from the fall catalog, Hydrangea .Spirit. at 14th place, and Agave bracteosa 'Monterrey Frost' at 18th. It's truly amazing to have two plants from the fall catalog crack this year.s Top 25, although they will not count as we tally contest votes.

As always, thanks for taking time to read our rants and most of all, thank you so much for your support and orders this year!

Please direct all replies and questions to office@plantdelights.com.

Click here to Subscribe, Unsubscribe, or change your email.

Thanks and enjoy -tony