Conifer Quarterly · issue,Jackpointsoutanimaginativegar-den with a large, diverse collection of...

Conifer QuarterlyVol. 26 No. 2 Spring 2009

Picea abies ‘Reflexa’Photo by Dennis Groh

Vol. 26 No. 2 CONIFER QUARTERLY

The Conifer Quarterly is the publication of the American Conifer Society

Vol. 26 No. 2 CONIFER QUARTERLY 3

Contents

American Conifer Society Voices

2 President’s Message

4 Editor’s Memo

16 Letter to the Editor

41 ACS 2009 National Meeting

44 2009 Western Region Meeting

46 $7,000 Awarded to Four Southeast Regional Gardens

7 How I spruced up Georgiaby Tom Cox

10 A Fungus Made Us Do Itby Bill Van Kosky

17 Brassica hirtaby Phil Syphrit

19 Stonehedge, the Garden of Ken and Elena JordanText and Photos by Jack Ayers

26 Winter Burn on Conifersby Ellen Kelley

28 Evaluating Landscape Adaptability of Hemlock Species(Tsuga spp.) inWestern North Carolinaby Anthony V. LeBude and Thomas G. Ranney

32 Collecting Northern Conifersby William Journeay

36 Conifer Destinationsby Tom Cox

38 Conifers with Leavesby Maud Henne

Picea abies 'Lanham's Beehive'

Photo by Randall C. Smith, Courtesy of Iseli Nursery

Picea omorika ‘Pimoko’

Photo by Randall C. Smith, Courtesy of Iseli Nursery

Vol. 26 No. 2 CONIFER QUARTERLY 32 CONIFER QUARTERLY Vol. 26 No. 2

ConiferQuarterly

Spring 2009Volume 26, No 2

The Conifer Quarterly (ISSN 8755-0490) ispublished quarterly by the American ConiferSociety. The Society is a non-profit organizationincorporated under the laws of the Commonwealthof Pennsylvania and is tax exempt under section501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Service Code.

You are invited to join our Society. Pleaseaddress membership and other inquiries to theAmerican Conifer Society National Office, 175Charisma Lane, Lewisville, NC 27023-9611.Membership: US $30 (indiv.), $35 (joint),$30 (institutional), $50 (sustaining), $100(corporate business) and $130 (patron). If you aremoving, please notify the National Office 4 weeksin advance.

All editorial and advertising matters should besent to: Evelyn Cox, 1621 N. Lake Dr., Canton,GA 30115, (770) 663-7576 or email [email protected].

EditorEvelyn Cox

Technical EditorsEthan JohnsonSusan MartinR. William Thomas

Advisory CommitteeEllen Kelley, Committee ChairMarvin Snyderex officio: Tom Coxex officio: John Martin

Copyright © 2009, American Conifer Society. Allrights reserved. No material contained herein maybe reproduced in any form without prior writtenpermission of the publisher. Opinions expressedby authors and advertisers are not necessarilythose of the Society.

Note: Hardiness Zone references in theConifer Quarterly are USDA classifications unlessotherwise specified.

“Everything is connected to everythingelse. There is one ecosphere forall livingorganisms and what affects one, affectsall.”

This is the first law of ecology aswritten by Dr. Barry Commoner in TheClosing Circle in 1971. As the effects ofthe winter of 2008–09 unfold, I think wewill see in bold relief the truth of this“law.” The droughts in California and inthe South, the rains and snows in thenorthwest, the sustained temperaturesbetween –10°F and +10°F with dips at–25° to –30°F, plus the rain, ice, snow,and winds in many parts of the countrywill be a rigorous test of our plants.

The health of our plants is connectedto the health of the air we breathe as wellas larger eco-systems, and connected tothe health of many livelihoods, and soforth.

Is there an ACS response to theseclimatic occurrences? I think as we seecertain trends developing, our firstresponsibility, in keeping with ourmission, is to continue to educate bothprofessionals and the public on bestpractices and best choices for specificclimate conditions.

The Reference Garden program isone way to demonstrate not only thephysical aspects of a certain plant—color, form, size, growth rate, etc.—butalso the effects of environment on theplant, particularly regarding hardinessand root stock issues. Here, the Collec-tors Conifer of the Year program can alsoplay an important role—both in theselection of the plants offered and in thetracking of the success of the plants inthe various USDA Zones.

At the recently concluded WinterBoard Meeting, the board focused onmembership. Our concern is not as muchwith members who do not renew(although that is always a concern), but iswith the significant drop in the number ofnew memberships. To illustrate: In 2003,we reached the high of 448 new mem-bers; in 2005, there were 328 new mem-bers; in 2007, 248; and last year, 197 newmembers, the lowest number in the lastten years.

When asked how they learned aboutthe ACS, 29 percent of new membersindicated they were referred by members,friends, or business associates. The nextlargest group, 22 percent, indicated theylearned about the Society from the Website. This tells us that one-on-onepersonal contact is the most effective

way to recruit new members.The charge to each region, then, is to

develop a plan to increase membership intheir region. PowerPoint presentationsare available. Community organizationsare always looking for speakers; mem-bers need to advertise their availability todo short presentations. I’m sure that eachregion will come up with ideas for eventswhere conifers and the ACS can bepromoted. Each region is asked todevelop their membership plan.

This effort will depend on currentmembers responding. Regional officerscannot, and should not be expected to,carry out this effort alone. It’s a good wayto get involved in your organization andto increase your knowledge.

I am always looking for ideas toimprove our ability as a Society to fulfillour mission. I invite any member tosubmit ideas or to volunteer to assist inany ACS program. There are manyopportunities, and some of them are“one-shot” activities. You need not be aprofessional or an expert. As you willsee elsewhere in this issue of CQ, severalother opportunities to volunteer areavailable.

You are the American ConiferSociety. And it’s up to you to make theACS the premier plant society in theUnited States.

Ellen Kelley

AS I SEE IT FROM THE PRESIDENT’S DESK

This is Miss Lily,my new Office Assistant.She is an 8-year-old British Shorthair whoemigrated from the Mother Country atthe age of 4 months. She keeps a verywatchful eye on the birdfeeder outside

the window of my office, as well as on mywork on the computer.

EDITOR’S MEMO BY EVELYN COX


spread the word to you. Jack and SharonAyers are life members of the Societywho garden in the Northwest. In thisissue, Jack points out an imaginative gar-den with a large, diverse collection ofconifers near the town of Roseburg,Oregon. Owned by Ken and ElenaJordan, the garden is named Stonehedge.As often happens, the two couples gotconnected because of the ACS.

We hear from two of our frequentcontributors, Maud Henne and ACS Pres-ident Ellen Kelley, in this issue and alsolearn about some important ACS eventscoming up around the regions. TheNortheastern Region will host the ACSNational Meeting in Hauppauge, NewYork, on Long Island. Read all about itand mark your calendars! The WesternRegion’s annual meeting promises to be

exciting, too, showing off some great gar-dens, including one that was voted thebest garden on Puget Sound. See MarcMcCalmon’s article for more informa-tion.

We are fortunate to have, again,some fabulous photos to grace our coversfrom past-president Dennis Groh andfrom Randall Smith of Iseli Nursery. Lastbut not least, Barbie Colvin tells us aboutthe Southeastern Region’s outstandingprogress in the Conifer Reference Gardenprogram. Barbie is our SoutheasternRegion Vice President.

Enjoy your spring. When the spirit ofyouth strikes, you will probably strugglewith that age-old question, “Should Iplant now or wait?” Only the plantknows.

“April hath put a spirit of youth ineverything.”

- William Shakespeare

Outside my window, Asian magnolias,redbuds, Yoshino cherries, spirea and

winter hazel are bursting forth withrenewed vitality. This means that soon thespruces, too, will be full of the spirit ofyouth, flushing and coning in their ownunique way of flowering. Of ours, the fourI most anticipate are Picea brachytyla,Picea orientalis ‘Early Gold’, Picealikiangensis, and Picea abies ‘Pendula’.

My overall favorite conifer in ourcollection is one of the Picea abies‘Pendula’ cultivars. I have nicknamedmine “Lady of the Lake” because of her

special grace in a place overlooking alarge pond on our property. Affluentlygreen, she dresses up her neighborhoodof mostly deciduous conifers and non-coniferous plants when winter moves in.Quite small when we planted her, shegrew quickly into a lovely lady,establishing herself early as a standout.Even the brilliant red swamp hibiscusblooms in summer cannot outshine her.Through the seasons she stands upproudly among her neighbors and inspring (very soon I hope) she puts on aspecial show with luscious lime greenadornment on her tips.

Picea is our theme this issue.Because I think this genus has so much tooffer gardeners, it surprised me that wewere not flooded with stories about theseterrific plants in your gardens. But theoffer is still open. I know you have some.

In the meantime, my better-half,who speaks plants much better than I do,“volunteered” to tell you about some ofthe spruces that have been successful forus in the south, including the three I havementioned. Also, a member from very farnorth, William Journeay, shares someunique spruces he has found during hiscareer in the forest industry in easternCanada.

A popular question at ACS gather-ings is “How did you get interested inconifers?” The most unique answer I’veheard so far is from Bill Van Kosky whogardens with his wife Judy in Marquette,Michigan. I think you will enjoy hismotivation explanation.

A fringe benefit of being editor isthat I get to learn about many uniquegardens, discover new writers, and then

Next Issue: Summer 2009Our next issue will feature: JuniperusHard to beat for covering slopes and with a variety of shapesand colors, junipers can be functional as well as ornamentallydistinctive in any landscape. Tell us about your experiences withthis genus and/or show us your photos. Include the zone whereyou garden and any growing tips.

Future Issue themes: Please look at future themes and considersending your articles in advance of published deadlines.ConesLesser-known ConifersCompanion Plants

We welcome news alerts about conifers or about our members.Contact Evelyn Cox to discuss your ideas.


It’s hard to live under the same roof withour editor without occasionally getting

pressed into service. Such is now the caseas Evelyn is light on material relating to thePicea theme for the spring issue so sheasked if I would write a brief article onthe genus.

Growing up in the South, I nevergave much thought to spruce trees. Thiswas a plant I saw on television showssuch as Sergeant Preston of the Yukon. Ifyou remember the show, you likely grewup in the 50’s.

As I entered the Army and traveledthe world, I had the opportunity to enjoythe majestic beauty of spruces, particu-larly during periods of snowfall. Thiswas especially so in Germany. Upon re-tirement from the military I returned tothe South and after several years,founded an arboretum. Spruce trees werenowhere on the radar screen. The Ameri-can Conifer Society changed all that forme.

Since the year 2000, I have evalu-ated a number of spruce species andfound many to be quite adaptable here inNorth Georgia (Zone 7A). We currentlygrow 16 species. Visitors now receive alitany of reasons why I feel this genus isunder appreciated in the South.

Depending on the taxonomist, thegenus Picea contains some 35 speciesand all are native to the Northern Hemi-sphere. Their greatest concentrations arefound in boreal regions. In addition totheir value as landscape plants, they are autilitarian group as an important sourcein the manufacture of pulp and paper,

building material, and musical instru-ments. The genus has produced a prodi-gious number of exciting cultivars and itis unusual to look at a nursery catalogfeaturing conifers that does not have atleast several pages of spruce selections.

The following is a sampling of somegarden worthy selections targeted mainlyat the species level. The intent is to pro-vide you with enough information foryou to conduct your own search. Sincegrafting is usually the preferred methodof production, the rootstock that is usedis relevant to suitability – especially inthe southeastern U.S.

Picea abies (Norway spruce). Likelythe most widely planted spruce in theworld, this species has produced a vastnumber of gardenworthy cultivars. It isadaptable over much of the U.S. and hasproven to be at home at least as far southas the Zone 7A portions of Georgia andsurrounding states.

You can find a selection for virtuallyany landscape application as long asthere is full sun and good drainage. Largependulous cultivars include, ‘Cincinnata’and ‘Wingle’s Weeping’ aka ‘Wingle’sWeeper’. Upright growers include ‘Clan-brassiliana Stricta’ and ‘Cupressina’.Some smaller mounding ones are ‘Tom-pa’ and ‘Ohlendorffii’, or for a moreprostrate look, ‘Formanek’. Last but notleast is ‘Pusch’, the 2008 CollectorsConifer of the Year Dwarf Selection.

Picea alcoquiana (Alcock spruce).While there are other selections, thisspecies is primarily represented by thecultivar ‘Howell’s Dwarf’ which is a

How I spruced up Georgiaby Tom Cox


good selection with bi-colored needles. Ifone desires to maintain it as a shrub, careshould be exercised to remove any cen-tral leader that appears ready to form atree. This species is also known as P. bi-color.

Picea brachytyla (Sargent spruce). Ifyou are ever fortunate enough to visitlongtime ACS member Don Howse’sPorterhowse Gardens in Sandy, Oregon,you will agree with me this is among themost beautiful species in the genus. Forsome unknown reason, growers seldomoffer this splendid tree.

Picea chihuahuana (Mexicanspruce). This is a good, blue-coloredspecies for warmer portions of the U.S.A spectacular specimen grows atQuarryhill Botanical Garden in Sonoma,California. The only minus is itsextremely sharp, yucca-grade needles.

Picea glauca (white spruce). Not aspecies recommended for the South, butit has great garden appeal where it can becultivated. Among the newer selections Ilike is ‘Daisy’s White’. This is a small,slow-growing gem with creamy-whitenew growth in spring that turns green asthe season progresses.

Picea glehnii (Sakhalin spruce). Oneof the best selections of this good-lookingspecies from Japan is ‘Yatsubusa’ – aslower grower offering a good, tightshape and bluish green needles. Again,for a perfect example of how good thisplant can look, visit Don Howse.

Picea morrisonicola (Taiwanspruce). Like many plants from Taiwan,this full-sized spruce is adaptable all theway as far south as Mobile, Alabama. It isfast-growing, rapidly reaching full treesize.

Piceaomorika (Serbian spruce). Thisfavorite of mine has grown well over the

years for us. Plantsmen have selected aplethora of garden worthy cultivars, in-cluding ‘Pendula Bruns’, the 2007 full-size selection for Collectors Conifer ofthe Year. For smaller spaces, try ‘Nana’and ‘Pimoka’.

Picea orientalis (Oriental spruce). IfI could only grow one species, this wouldbe my choice. It has the shortest needlesof all the species and one of the best darkgreen colors of any conifer. In spring,‘Early Gold’ garners more attention thanany other conifer in our collection. Forabout two weeks in April, the new growthis a bright gold, set against dense, darkgreen foliage. One visitor even wanted totrade her husband for the plant, but shesaid he couldn’t prune so I just said “No.”The golden foliage gradually darkens andis a rich dark green by summer. Twostunning yellow cultivars, goldenthroughout the year, are ‘Skylands’ and‘Tom Thumb’. The latter is anotherDwarf Selection for Collectors Conifer ofthe Year (2007). If you want to appreciatethe species at its best in the U.S., visit theSpruce Trail at the Hoyt Arboretum inPortland, Oregon.

Picea pungens (Colorado spruce).Known mainly for its blue (glaucous) se-lections, it, along with Norway spruce, isone of the mainstays of northern gardens.Recommending one’s favorite is akin tobeing asked which child you like best. Inbrief, these are several that stand out.‘Iseli Fastigiate’ is a good upright, bluecultivar. ‘Montgomery’ is a moundingform with consistent blue color. ‘SpringGhost’, continuing to grow in popularity,has a pleasing cream color on the newgrowth. We are also growing an attractiveblue selection named ‘Omega’, whichlooks promising.

Picea sitchensis (Sitka spruce). This

Pacific Northwest giant grows to be oneof the tallest trees in the world. One par-ticular cultivar has always caught myeye, ‘Papoose’, a dwarf version growingto around 6 feet high with needles thatare green with silvery-blue undersides,producing a two-tone effect. It has shownsurprising adaptability in our arboretumfor the past four years.

Picea smithiana (Himalayan spruce).Having the longest needles of any spruce,this is a full-size tree. Seeing a full grownspecimen at the Hoyt Arboretum in Port-land convinced me this is a species wor-thy of being planted where space canaccommodate its size. We may have beenthe first garden in the South to plant thisspecies and it has grown over 1 foot peryear. It should be adaptable in all por-tions of Zones 7 and 8.

There will no doubt be readers whofeel frustrated at the lack of specifics onthese plants and others who havefavorites not mentioned here. Thepurpose of this article is to stimulate youto further explore the genus Picea andseek out selections that will work foryou.

POSITIONOPEN:NATIONALCHAIRPER-SON, COLLECTORSCONIFERof theYEAR(CCOY)Do you have a passion for and knowledgeof conifers? Are you looking for anexciting, rewarding,and creative volunteerexperience? Then the National Board ofthe American Conifer Society is looking foryou!

QUALIFICATIONS include:• An understanding of suitable gen-era/species for each region – to includeadaptable rootstock for grafted plants

• An awareness of and sense for theinteresting, new introductions

• The ability to work with variouspotential producers to bring theplants to market

• A knowledge of lead times for dwarfand miniature plants

• The ability to establish minimum sizesand quality standards for finished plants

• Production experience is a plus, but notrequired

BENEFITS include:• The opportunity to assist the ACS in avery important fund-raising endeavor

• The opportunity to exercise yourentrepreneurial and creative abilities

• The satisfaction of promoting thissignificant group of plants

• The opportunity for an excitinglearning experience

• The opportunity to be among thefirst to see the next sexy new plant

TO APPLY:Send your application, including yourexperience in the field of conifers, yourqualifications, and your contact infor-mation to:

Ridge Goodwin,P.O.Box 310,Holicong,PA 18928-0310

Fax: 215-794-7104E-mail: [email protected]

Deadline for applications is June 1,2009.


As new members attending out firstACS annual meeting in 2008, my

wife Judy and I asked several attendees,“How did you become interested inconifers?” The answers were as varied asthe routes by which coniferites traveledfrom their homes to the meeting inDubuque, Iowa.

One long-time member told us howhis plan to start a Christmas tree planta-tion went awry several decades ago.First, an unscrupulous dealer sold him abundle of cull seedlings. Then, sitepreparation errors further reduced thespindly seedlings’ chances for survival.The resulting fiasco prompted this bud-ding entrepreneur to decide that heneeded to learn a great deal more aboutthe Christmas tree business. His searchfor information led him to the informalnetwork of conifer enthusiasts that even-tually founded the ACS.

Another member described how hehad been searching for something out ofthe ordinary–he didn’t know just what–toadd to the plantings on his property. Anacquaintance suggested that he check outthe array of conifers at Rich’s FoxwillowPines Nursery in northern Illinois.“When I saw that,” he told us, “I knewthat I’d found what I’d been looking for.”

Others to whom we talked were, likeus, experienced gardeners who recog-nized the potential for conifers to en-hance the beauty and diversity of theirgardens and joined the ACS to learnmore about this aspect of horticulture.

Naturally, when you ask people howthey became interested in conifers, they

will inquire, “How about you?”Our reply: “A fungus made us do it.”

In 1968 we bought 50 acres of north-ern hardwood forest southeast of Mar-quette, Michigan, about a mile from thesouth shore of Lake Superior. If the namesounds vaguely familiar, it’s probably be-cause you’ve seen Marquette on the tele-vision weather map along withreferences to winter storms and deepsnow. Snow begins to accumulate here inmid-November and continues untilsometime in April, averaging a totalsnowfall of 14 feet over the winter. Thepositive side of this is the consistentsnow cover that provides protective insu-lation for the plants beneath it. Also, thebig lake that gives us so much snow mod-erates the temperatures. We are solidly inUSDA plant hardiness Zone 5, while gar-deners just a few miles inland have tocontend with Zone 4 conditions.

Well drilling at our future home siterevealed that we were sitting on 40 feetof nasty pink clay. Within a few years, wediscovered that the advance and retreat ofglaciers many thousands of years ago hadplayed some strange tricks on our land.Scarcely a hundred yards from our home,we cut a clearing for a vegetable gardenand orchard. Attempting to dig there, weencountered not clay, but pebbles, grittysoil, fist-sized rocks, gravelly soil, andlarge rocks. At one edge of the new clear-ing, we found an abrupt transition fromrocky soil–actually, soily rock–to a siz-able deposit of coarse sand. (Great stufffor any gardener to have close at hand!)

Apple trees are flourishing in the

gravel, but it took years of rock pickingand the addition of innumerable loads ofmaple leaves and homemade compost totransform 900 square feet of gravel intorich, friable garden soil for the vegeta-bles.

After the house was built in 1971,we hired a contractor to grade around itand spread six inches of topsoil over theclay. After raking and smoothing this, weplanted grass.

Until the mid-1990s, the lawnlooked reasonably good, but suddenlyscattered spots and patches of it died.Whatever ailed it seemed to follow thesame pattern that bubonic plague does inhumans; the interval between onset ofsymptoms and death was one or twodays. The Michigan State University Ex-tension Service identified the source ofour woes as brown spot fungus.

Year after year in the fall, I’d buyseveral rolls of sod and cut it into patchesto replace dead grass. This turf repairchore was time-consuming as well as te-dious. The lawn looked good the follow-ing spring, but the appearance of thefungus in early July was as predictable asthe return of the swallows to Capistrano.Liquid and granular fungicides were ex-pensive in the quantities needed and wereonly marginally successful in preventingor controlling the fungus.

At last, I grew weary of the annualritual of crawling around with a trowel,cutting out dead spots and patching infresh sod. I came in with dirty knees anda sore back one evening and said to Judy,“This is organic matter such as is foundin cattle pastures!” (not my exact words).Henceforth, in the battle between VanKosky and fungus, Van Kosky wouldswitch from defense to offense.

Fearing that the State of Michiganwould designate the east end of our yardan official brown spot fungus demonstra-tion zone, in 2001, I spaded up a couplehundred square feet of the worst-lookinglawn and planted some shrubs andconifers from a local garden center. Al-though I had more than 50 years of expe-rience in vegetable gardening and as anorchardist, I knew next to nothing aboutshrubs and conifers. My plant choicesproved this. They served mainly to takeup space. The most praise I could musterfor them was to say that they appearedmore pleasing to the eye than dead grass.

Over the winter, I thought about thisand concluded that, if my new plantingswere to accomplish anything beyond re-placing sickly grass with nondescriptplants, I had better learn more aboutperennials, vines, shrubs, grasses, andconifers. Quite accidentally, the fungushad started us on a path that would ulti-mately lead to ACS membership.

That same winter, Judy showed me amagazine article about heath and heather.This was something novel, at least in theUpper Peninsula of Michigan. I bought acouple of books, sent away for some cat-alogs and, the following spring, dug upanother 150 square feet. After loweringthe pH to about 5.5, I planted three-dozenheather and heath plants. They did sowell that I’ve planted more of them inevery new bed we’ve created since 2002.At present, there are more than 100 ofthese plants, comprising nearly 60 culti-vars.

One of the catalogs noted that dwarfconifers were good companion plants forheather. Most of the garden centers in ourvicinity stock the same old conifers yearafter year. So, I bought some more books,

A Fungus Made Us Do It!by Bill Van Kosky


started subscribing to a gardening maga-zine, and sent away for more catalogs. Ifound that there were many mail-ordersources for conifers and that there were alot more species and varieties than I hadthought.

By 2003, we were converting200–300 square feet of brown spot fun-gus habitat to plantings each year. Eachof these beds has several conifers. Ourconifer count going into the 2009 garden-ing season is 51. Eight years ago, I wascutting grass on 8,000 square feet oflawn. Now it’s down to 6,000.

Those who know that our naturalsoil is dense clay want to know howwe’ve been able to grow so many nicethings in such lousy soil. There are twoanswers to this question. For 30 years,Judy has been digging leaves and com-post into flower gardens next to the houseand along the edges of the yard so thatclay in those areas is now only one com-ponent among many in what has becomea very fertile soil with good structure.

When starting the large-scale turf re-duction project, I opted for an approachthat was labor intensive but accom-plished the conversion of compacted clayto a rich, well-drained but moisture reten-tive, plant-growing medium in daysrather than years. Our husky grandson

and I dig each new area out, dispose ofthe clay, and refill the excavation with ablend of soil ingredients (topsoil, sand,peat moss, and compost, in proportionsof 2-1-1-1, respectively).

In the absence of more advancedtechnology, we dig with picks, pick-mat-tocks, heavy-duty garden forks and shov-els, and use a large garden cart and5-gallon buckets for hauling clay and soilingredients. This is primitive and ardu-ous, but it gets the job done. Workingsteadily for four days, an old geezer anda teenager can dig out and refill a 150-square-foot area, 16 inches deep, whichis immediately ready for planting.

By 2006, when I first noticed refer-ence to the American Conifer Society ina list of resources in a gardening catalog,I had made up my mind that conifers,

heather, and heath would predominate indesigns for each new bed in our yard andas replacements for other plants that die,languish, or fail to live up to their pressnotices.

To do this and do it well, we needed tobecome as knowledgeable and confidentabout growing conifers as we are aboutother kinds of gardening. By joining theACS, Judy and I have gained access tothe collective knowledge and practicalexperience of a broad-based group ofconifer hobbyists and professionals. Thishas already enabled us to choose ourconifer purchases more wisely and in-creased our confidence that we are prop-erly caring for the trees once they are inthe ground.

So you see, it’s true. We wouldn’thave 2,000 square feet of plantings inwhich conifers are prominently featured,nor would we be ACS members, if ithadn’t been for the doggone fungus thatmade us do it!

About the author: Bill and Judy VanKosky live and garden in Marquette,Michigan. Their garden is open tomembers by appointment.Setting aside sod and topsoil

Until 2003, the fungus reigned supremein this part of the lawnExample of clay to be disposed of

After clay is dug out, sod will be placedupside down in the bottom of the hole

New beds being laid out in an area thathad severe fungus infection


my course fees and tuition for the fall andspring semesters. The generosity of theAmerican Conifer Society has been atremendous source of support andencouragement for me to work hard andgive my best to help provide others withinformation to benefit those who havegiven so much to me. Thank you forproviding me the opportunity to pursuemy education and research with our“Queen of Conifers.”

With Greatest Appreciation,

Matt WilsonM.S. Graduate Research [email protected] poem above was written by Charles

F. Jenkins, the curator and founder ofthe Hemlock Arboretum at Far Country inGermantown, Pennsylvania. Many wouldagree that Jenkins’ sentiments capturemuch of conifer enthusiasts’ passion andregard for members of the genus Tsuga.As a graduate student working withhemlock, I find these descriptions quiteaccurate in conveying the majesty andbeauty found in the soft texture andpendulous branches displayed by mosthemlocks.

Early work pioneered by plantenthusiasts and researchers, such as Dr.John C. Swartley’s work to classify anddescribe eastern hemlock’s varieties andcultivars, brought to attention Tsuga’svariety and suitability for many diverselandscapes. In recent years, research hasturned to combating and preventinghemlock wooly adelgid infestations inforest stands. While much research hasbeen done to evaluate the genetic diver-sity and insect resistance of hemlock,little work has evaluated hemlocks’ heattolerance.

Part of my research with Dr. JeffSibley at Auburn University is to evalu-ate the genus Tsuga’s heat tolerance andsuitability in southern landscapes.Currently, we are evaluating eightspecies of hemlock including easternhemlock (T. canadensis), Carolina hem-lock (T. caroliniana), western (T. hetero-phylla), mountain hemlock (T.mertensiana), southern Japanese hem-lock (T. sieboldii), northern Japanese (T.diversifolia), Yunnan hemlock (T. yun-nanensis), and Chinese hemlock (T. chi-nensis). Our work currently consists oftaking needle and root tissue and expos-ing the tissues to various temperatures.To determine the amount of damage thatoccurs, we measure the amount of cellcontents leaked due to breakdown of thecells when exposed to destructive tem-peratures. This procedure is known aselectrolyte leakage and is a mean bywhich we can see the effects of tempera-ture on the plant. This is only a small partof the equation as humidity, water andnutrient availability, and light intensityall affect plant growth and suitability forplants to thrive in diverse climates. Wehope this research will contribute toinformation and understanding ofhemlock’s requirements to thrive invarious environments and situations.

It is my wish to thank members ofthe American Conifer Society for yoursupport of my education and researchthrough the giving of the ACS Scholar-ship. Support provided through the schol-arship has been useful in alleviating thecosts of attending school by paying for

ACS Scholarshipby Matt Wilson

The pine is called the kingly tree,It well deserves full royalty.

The hemlock’s called the princely tree,This lower rank is not forme.

Right here and now O! Hemlock treeA royal crown is given thee.

Not prince, but equal, queenly tree,In beauty, grace and symmetry.

Great honors his, full honors hers,The King and Queen of conifers.

Charles F. Jenkins

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www.conifersociety.org


Dear Evelyn.Hope you don’t mind me pointing out a few mistakes in the recent ConiferQuarterly publication winter 2009.

Except for the first one listed, the mistakes all seem to be in the article forthe ACS International Trip 2008.

Page 26 - photos top left and right, should be Cedrus deodara ‘Feelin’ Blue’not ‘Feeling Blue’,

Page 28 - Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Chirimen’ not Chamaecyparis obtusa‘Chairman’,

Page 28 - Pinus uncinata ‘Eva’ not Picea uncinata ‘Eva’,Page 30 - Picea pungens ‘Hermann Naue’ not Picea pungens ‘Herman Nave’Page 31 - Chamaecyparis lawsoniana ‘Wissel’s Saguaro’ not Chamaecyparis

obtusa ‘Weissel’s Sugaro’Page 31 - Leucothoe axillaris ‘Curley Red’ not Leucothea axillaris ‘Curley

Red’Page 32 - ‘Blue Saphir’ not ‘Blue Sapphire’ (This is the correct Czech

spelling)Page 33 - Photo, bottom right hand corner - Kostelnicek not Kostelnecik.Page 34 - Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Chairman (repeated mistake)Page 34 - Picea omorika ‘Peve Tijn’ not Picea orientalis ‘Tijn’Page 34 - Photo bottom of page - These are not Microbiota decussata,

they look like cultivars of Juniperus communis.

Kind Regards,Stephen Grubb.

Letter to the Editor:

It’s good to keep a jar of spicy mustardaround for those times when you have to

eat crow. It makes it easier to swallow.In the Conifer Quarterly Vol. 26 No.

1, I read the book review of AljosFarjon’s book A Natural History ofConifers. In the review, I read thesentence “Could you easily explain whya yew is a conifer and an alder is not?”“Wait a minute,” says I, “a yew is not aconifer at all.” It has arils, not cones.Quickly I dashed off a short note to theeditor pointing out the error. There. I’dset the record straight. And I knew I wasright.

Well, a day or so later I get my replyfrom the editor saying that severalauthorities disagreed with me. A yew isindeed a conifer. Can she publish myletter as a letter to the editor raising thisquestion to the readership at large? NowI’m a little taken aback. I KNOW I’mright. An aril is not a cone!

I start looking at various references:Bailey, Dirr, various on-line dictionaries,Encyclopædia Britannica on-line. Theyall seem to support what I believe to betrue: A female cone is a megastrobiluswith a central stem and scales emanatingfrom it supporting the naked, ovuliferousscale. A male cone is a microstrobilusproducing pollen. A conifer, by defini-tion, has cones. An aril is a modificationof other tissue that either fully or partiallyencloses the seed; essentially a fleshyseed coating.

I make one more reference check atthe L. H. Bailey Hortorium of Cornell

University. They’ll confirm this for me! Iget my reply: a yew would be considereda conifer!

I send all this information to theeditor. She replies “Do you still want meto run your letter?” I hesitate. “No, don’tprint it yet, please. Not because I’mwilling to admit I’m wrong,” (See, ISTILL KNOW I’M RIGHT despite thisgrowing sense that maybe I am wrongsomehow) “I just need to do some moredigging into this question.”

Fortunately one of the definitions I’dfound on the internet had a reference fora paper presented in 2003 at the Interna-tional Society for Horticultural Sciencesentitled “Analyzing the ReproductiveBiology of Taxus: Should it be Includedin Coniferales?” I track this article down;it includes other references including anarticle published in the American Journalof Botany vol. 85, issue #5, 1998 entitled“Phylogenetic Relationships of ConifersInferred from Partial 28s R RNA GeneSequences.”

These articles essentially say thatusing current genetic analysis one canfeel pretty comfortable saying that(gasp!) yews are conifers! Fortunately formy ego the American Journal of Botanyarticle includes the sentences (p.688)“The phylogenetic position of Taxaceaeis one of the oldest unsolved problems ingymnosperm systematics. Members ofthis family are unique because theyare devoid of the ‘classical’ cone thatcharacterizes the majority of conifers.”

I email the editor of Conifer Quar-

Brassica hirtaby Phil Syphrit


terly – again. “Never mind.”There are several lessons that I am

willing to draw from this whole littlestory.

First, I’m reminded of an oldBuddhist proverb: When you know youare right, check again anyway.

Second, the science of geneticresearch (of which I know nothing) istransforming the way we can analyze andclassify many things, and in a way thatseems to be much more essential thanmany previous systems of analysis haveallowed. With this method of analysis weare brought to a place where we need tolook deeper into what constitutes“coniferness.” It doesn’t appear to be thepresence of “classical” cones.

Third, our use of words like conifer,evergreen, and gymnosperm can beconfusing. Language is one of our mostcomplex tools, but sometimes it is not aneasy tool to use.

Fourth, I will always keep on hand ajar of spicy mustard.

66 Jackson Lane, Bethlehem, CT 06751

Owner: Dennis Dodge Phone/Fax 203.266.7783

www.bethlehemnursery.com [email protected]

The one-and-a-half acre garden of Kenand Elena Jordan, located just west of

Roseburg, a small town in southwesternOregon, would be of interest to any coniferenthusiast because of its diverse collectionof more than 400 cultivars, while theirimaginative use of stones and companionplants makes it a site any garden loverwould enjoy. Ken and Elena are shown inFigure 1, posed in an enclosure for a gliderwhich is recessed into their hillside garden.The enclosure is patterned after one in the

garden of the Gamble House (see nextparagraph). In the photo are shown to theirleft and right Cedrus deodara ‘BlueSnake’ and Pinus thunbergii ‘Ogon’.Immediately behind them is Sequoiasempervirens ‘Kenwood’.

Ken and Elena developed theirgarden from modest beginnings afterbuilding their showplace craftsman stylehome, which is shown in Figure 2. Thehouse is inspired by the famous GambleHouse in Pasadena, California, which

Gardening with Conifers in theNorthwestText and Photos by Jack Ayers

Stonehedge, the Garden of Ken and Elena Jordan

Figure 1) Ken and Elena Jordan shown in an enclosure for a glider which is not yet built


was designed by the renowned architec-tural firm of Greene and Greene. Ken, amaster carpenter and woodworker, did allof the carpentry with the help of hisbrother, as well as much of the otherwork including the cabinetry and most ofthe beautiful brickwork evident in thephoto. Elena is very active in the gardenand contributed greatly to the construc-tion of the house though she is employedfull time as an anesthesiologist. Theascending stairway in Figure 2 leads to alarge brick terrace across the full front ofthe home. The terrace is surrounded by abrick wall upon which are located severalinteresting potted plants of diversegenera.

Their home is located on a bluffoverlooking the juncture of the north andsouth forks of the Umpqua River on whatmay be the most scenic building site inthe county. Their property has severallarge Oregon white oaks (Quercus gar-

ryana) which give a mature feel to thisrelatively young garden. One of theseoaks is evident in Figure 3, framing asoutheasterly view out over the southfork. The river and valley views are bestfrom the decks at the back of the house,where the bluff is so steep that little of itcan be gardened.

Ken and Elena have composed someinteresting raised beds in relatively flatgrassy areas at either end of the house,but it is the large terraced garden on thefront side of the house which is of mostinterest to me. As they developed thisarea, they acquired a growing interest inconifers, particularly Hinoki cypresses(Chamaecyparis obtusa). That interest

was greatly enhanced when they metLarry Stanley at a garden show inPortland about seven years ago. Larryconvinced them to join the AmericanConifer Society.

When they got their membership listthey searched it for other members in thisarea. From it, they discovered that mywife Sharon and I are the only othermembers in the area. Noticing that ourgarden was open to visitors, they called toask if they might come by for a tour. Wewere pleased to show them around anddelighted to discover what a wonderfulcouple they are. Both of our gardens havebenefited from this friendship. They ini-tially benefited from our then greaterknowledge of conifers and we from their

enthusiasm for rocks and their knowl-edge of sources for nearly free rocks inthe National Forest Service rock quarriesin the nearby Cascade Mountains. (TheForest Service issues permits to gatherfor $20 per ton.)

A few such rocks can be seen in Fig-ure 4, a view from the front of their houseout over the top of the terraces into thesmall valley separating the bluff they liveon from the first low ridge of the CoastMountain Range. This borrowed sceneryenhances their garden. That the smallpond in the valley is on common land hasnot deterred the Jordans from plantingseveral larger-growing conifers and redmaples which are just beginning to showtheir potential. The dwarf conifers in theforeground include several small Dou-glas firs (Pseudotsuga menziesii) on theleft with an Abies pinsapo ‘Horstmann’behind them, Picea pungens ‘Swifty’ justto the right of center, Picea glauca ‘Pixie’to the right of it, Picea glauca ‘Alberta

Figure 2) Frontal view of the Jordan’s home.The highlight of the rock garden to the left ofthe stairway is a beautifully laid out dry stream bed, only a portion of which can be seen.

Figure 3) A small bed containing diversecompanion plants under a native whiteoak,with the south fork of the Umpqua

River evident in the valley below

Figure 4) View to the west from the drivein front of the house.All the rocks were

collected in Forest Service quarries.


Globe’ peeking over a rock, and Ilex cre-nata ‘Dwarf Pagoda’ in front of a rock.

A portion of the garden with a some-what more structured group of rocks isfeatured in Figure 5. Some readers mightfind it interesting to learn that thesevolcanic pillars, and most of the otherrocks shown here, were formed frommagma generated by subduction of theJuan de Fuca oceanic plate under theNorth American continent, a processwhich often produces lavas more rich insilica (white colored silicon dioxide) thanthe more widely known black basaltlavas. Most columns we find locally havea dark grey internal color and are weath-

ered to lighter colors on their surfaces.Ken and Elena are amused to tell

visitors that they originally placed thepillars of Figure 5 in upright positions,but that they sagged and tilted. Mostobservers believe as I do that this happyaccident produced a beautiful, naturallooking ensemble. Behind the rocks isone of the most distinctive trees in thegarden, Cedrus libani ‘Pendula’. Ken hasremoved the larger horizontal branchesfrom this 30-foot tall tree working from a16-foot orchardist’s ladder. Prominentplants in the foreground are, from theright, Metasequoia glyptostroboides‘Gold Rush’, Acer palmatum ‘Otto’,Berberis thunbergii ‘Rosy Glow’, Acerpalmatum ‘Emerald Lace’, and Acerpalmatum ‘Shidara Gold’. This photoillustrates Ken and Elena’s effective useof more than 75 cultivars of Japanesemaples in their garden.

Figure 6 illustrates two of the severaltypes of retaining walls used in the gar-den. The central wall was built by a con-tractor with stone called bearcat from aForest Service quarry of the same name.Ken built the less regular bluestone walls

above and below it from stone purchasedfrom a local road building company. Therounded stones between the walls aresandstone concretions purchased fromthe same company at minimal cost. Thelarge stones above the central wall weregathered locally and placed by machine,though the Jordans with the help of theirson have placed some remarkably largerocks. In Figure 6 the small plantbetween the concretions is Picea rubens‘HB’, immediately above them is Pinussylvestris ‘Albyns’, and to the right isCedrus deodara ‘Devinely Blue’.

In most portions of the hillsidegarden, grade changes are traversed byway of large stepping stones that weregathered in the mountains. But as Figure7 illustrates, Ken has also built some verynice stairways. The one shown here isconstructed from a stone called Three

Rivers slate and quartzite, both purchasedat a rock yard. The pine to the left is Pinusstrobus ‘Pendula’, the plants just abovethe wall are Berberis thunbergii ‘Aurea’and Picea glauca ‘Little Globe’, while theprominent plants in the background andforeground are Chamaecyparis obtusa‘Torulosa’ and a blue fescue.

The most recently developed portionof the garden is shown in Figure 8. Thisrelatively steep area, to the right of thehouse and above the driveway, is terracedwith bluestone walls and short volcaniccolumns. Somewhat surprisingly, thesecolumns are from the same small quarryas the bearcat stone in the more regularwalls. Sharon and I particularly like thisstone and have used it to border twoelevated beds in our own garden. Unfor-tunately, this popular quarry is nownearly picked clean of any interesting

Figure 5) Garden view featuring a group ofvolcanic columns gathered in the nearby

Cascade Mountains

Figure 6) A view showing the effectiveblending of conifers and stones

in the garden

Figure 7) A stairway built by Ken in a lush,diverse planting

Figure 8) Terraced beds constructed withvolcanic columns collected in a

Forest Service quarry


stones of either type. We have probablyvain hopes that the Forest Service willsomeday soon bring in some heavyequipment and enlarge this quarry.

The near portions of the area shownwere constructed and planted within thepast two years so it does not look as lushas other portions of the garden. It is,however, very interesting to study be-cause as the Jordans run out of plantingroom they are increasingly concentratingon miniature cultivars, only a couple ofwhich can be seen in the photo. The fenceat the top of the picture was placed tokeep deer out of their productive veg-etable garden. They have surprisinglyfew deer problems in the major unfencedportions of the garden because their lov-able labradoodle Augie keeps them atbay.

Those unfamiliar with the climate ofthe Northwest may assume that it rains allthe time here, but the reality is somewhatdifferent. We have a Mediterranean cli-mate, meaning that we have wet wintersand dry summers. Furthermore, the wet-ness of the winters and the dryness of thesummers varies substantially within theregion. Sharon and I grew up in theNorthwest, spent our working careers inthe Washington, D.C. area, and returnedto the west when we retired.

I found the long wet winters toodreary when we lived in Seattle, so I con-vinced Sharon to settle in southern Ore-gon where only the winter monthsnormally have more than 3 inches of rain,and the summers are long and dry. Mostconifers do very well here, but someplants, such as rhododendrons, requiremuch more supplemental water here thanthey do further north, and some do notthrive at all. This is particularly true of

the mosses employed in the traditionalJapanese moss gardens, a style of gardenwhich particularly appeals to Elena.

As Figure 9 illustrates, she hassolved this problem admirably by em-ploying a small naturalized plant, Saginasubulata, which I have considered a weedbecause it springs up even in our un-watered, crushed rock paths. Although itis a flowering plant, the flowers areinconspicuous, and on casual inspectionone would think it to be a moss. Elena hasused it very effectively in the area shownand in several other spots within thegarden. The beautiful foreground coniferin Figure 9 is Cedrus libani ‘GreenKnight’, the maple is Acer palmatum‘Wilson’s Pink Dwarf’, and under it isCryptomeria japonica ‘Koshyi’.

The relatively flat areas at either endof the Jordan’s house have nice lawnswith raised beds and are surrounded inpart by mixed gardens, one of which isshown in Figure 10. This small garden islocated to the left (north) of the house,and the view shown looks down towardthe pond evident in Figure 4. The gardencontains several fine plants, of which Iwill name only three, the purple leafedtree Cercis canadensis ‘Forest Pansy’ onthe left, the beautiful Pinus parviflora‘Goldilocks’ in the left foreground, andthe Picea jezoensis ‘Chitosemaru’ in thegroup of rocks to the right of it.

I particularly like these rocks be-cause of their unusual structure. They arestubby basaltic columns which are un-usual in that they are filled with largepores created when gas escaped from thehot lava as it flowed over the earth’s sur-face. I am very fortunate to have gonewith Ken and a friend of his who owns atruck with a boom to a quarry high in the

Cascades so that the friend could load avery large column (which proved toweigh over 13,000 pounds) onto thetruck. With much help from Ken andsome from me, the column was loaded.Then we moved to another part of thequarry where the friend used the boom toload Ken’s pickup with the columnsshown and mine with similar ones.Sharon and I have since returned there togather smaller stones of this type to bor-der a landing in our garden.

The highway leading to this quarryfollows the north fork of the UmpquaRiver and is one of the most scenic drivesin the country. This highway proceeds onto Crater Lake, one of the true wonders of

the natural world. If you are ever in west-ern Oregon you really should make thisdrive, and I know you would enjoy avisit to the Jordan’s garden. You are alsowelcome to visit our more humblegarden.

About the author: Jack and his wifeSharon are life members of the Society,having joined in 1990 while living innorthern Virginia. There Jack wasemployed as a civilian scientist at theNaval Research Laboratory in Washing-ton, DC. He took early retirement in1998 and they returned to their nativenorthwest to indulge their passion forgardening.

Figure 9) Small section of garden with aJapanese motif, featuring Sagina subulata

as a moss substitute

Figure 10) The small moss garden ofFigure 9 is located in the center of this

beautifully laid out bed.


Once again it’s spring. As homeownersand gardeners emerge from their

winter hibernation and venture forth intotheir yards and gardens, they willinevitably notice the ravages of winter onsome of their prized trees and shrubs. Thisis the time of year when the winter damageknown as “winter burn” appears on ever-green plants, especially conifers.

Winters can be really tough on land-scape plants. The combination of coldtemperatures, winter sun, reflection fromsnow, and drying winds can damage oreven kill buds, bark, and roots by draw-ing upon the reserves of moisture in theneedles. The injury occurs during sunnyand/or windy winter weather when plantslose water from their leaves throughtranspiration faster than it can be re-placed by roots which are in frozen soil.

Gardeners can identify winter burnby looking for golden or brown needlesor needle tips. Sometimes, entire

branches are dead, and a truly severe caseof winter burn can completely kill theplant, rendering it brown and crispy.

This normally occurs on the south orsouthwest side of the plant, or if it is in anexposed location, on the windward side.A very important contributing factor islack of snow cover, especially when thesoil freezes early before the needles get achance to acclimate to the cold weather,causing even more moisture loss. Reflec-tion off the snow on sunny days or a latecold snap in the spring after the newgrowth has appeared can also causebrowning.

The most susceptible plants arejuniper, pine, hemlock, arborvitae, andyew. New plantings can get hit especiallyhard, as can yellow or variegatedplants.The best way to prevent winterburn is to plant your conifers in the rightlocation. Avoid locations that are bothexposed to the northwest winter wind

and to the winter sun. Also keep themaway from your furnace or clothes dryervent!

In addition, several other practicescan minimize or prevent winter burn:

• Don’t let your conifers go into the win-ter with dry soil. Plants need moisturein the soil to replace the moisture lossfrom the needles. Keep plants wateredwell, especially if they have gonethrough a dry spell in the late summeror fall. October, November and some-times December are not too late forwatering, as long as the soil is notfrozen and will take the water.

• Provide some winter protection fornewly planted conifers, yellow orvariegated cultivars, plants in suscepti-ble locations, or plants which for otherreasons might need protection. A com-mon method is to use a sheet of burlap,available at most large garden centers,wrapped around the plant and held to-gether by twine. Just make sure youdon’t wrap it too tight, and leave itopen at the top for air to get in and out.

• Use anti-desiccants, which are mixedwith water and sprayed on the plant,leaving a “waxy” coating to preventmoisture loss. Be aware, however, thatanti-desiccants will need to be re-applied at intervals during the winter.This will need to be done when thetemperature is above 40° F. Unfortu-nately, recent research has shown theresults to be generally disappointing.

• Mulch around the bases of root-tenderplants (it’s a good idea to mulch around

all of your conifers in the fall) to helpprotect their crowns and roots fromfreezing temperatures, and fromheaving due to wide variations intemperature.

• Avoid heavy applications of nitrogenfertilizers in late summer to allowproper hardening of plant tissues.

Even with good management, injuryto young growth or insufficiently hard-ened tissues may still occur as a result ofunusual weather patterns. Little can bedone to prevent injury in these instances.

The good news is that after severalyears, many, if not most, of the conifersthat have had the tendency to burn willhave adjusted and won’t burn unless thewinter, especially late winter weather, isparticularly fierce. The other good newsis that a mantle of burlap can be appliedat any time, if the signs of winter burnbegin to appear.

Winter Burn on Conifersby Ellen Kelley


The hemlock wooly adelgid (HWA),(Adelges tsugae Annand), is a major

threat to Tsuga spp. in forested and urbanareas in the eastern United States (Mc-Clure 2001, 1987). This insect is cur-rently in more than 16 states where it hascontributed to the decline of eastern andCarolina hemlock and has substantiallyaltered plant communities and ecosys-tems. HWA has recently moved into andrapidly spread throughout western NorthCarolina and is a considerable threat tothe nursery industry, established land-scape plantings, and native forests inthese areas. Skeletons of large hemlockshaunt the streams and mountainsidesthroughout the high forests. The ecologi-cal and visual consequences of largescale loss of hemlock due to HWA arepredicted to parallel those of chestnutblight. Attempts to identify and releasenatural predators of HWA are underway,but losses continue to escalate as therange of HWA expands. While Easternhemlock (T. canadensis L.) and Carolinahemlock (T. caroliniana Engelm.) haveshown little or no resistance within areasinfested by HWA, there may be a rangeof resistance in other species of hemlockor in the over 270 cultivars of easternhemlock that exist.

One long-term management optionis to plant resistant hemlocks to reducethe impact of HWA on ornamental plant-ings and forested areas. In Asia, HWA ap-pears to be a relatively minor pest.Although this may partially be due to cli-mate and natural enemies, observationsand studies of different Asian species in-cluding Chinese hemlock, (T. chinensis(Franch.) Pritz.), northern Japanese hem-lock (T. diversifolia (Maxim.) Mast.) andsouthern Japanese hemlock (T. sieboldiiCarr.) have indicated considerable hostplant resistance (McClure 1996, 1995,1992; Lagalante and Montgomery 2003;Lagalante 2003; Montgomery et al. 2005;Montgomery 1999). From anecdotal re-ports in western North Carolina, someaccessions of Chinese hemlock may notbe adequately cold hardy. However, Chi-nese hemlock has a broad range andsome selections from more northernprovenances are doing well in USDAzone 5. Mountain hemlock (T. merten-siana (Bong.) Carr.) and western hem-lock (T. heterophylla (Raf.) Sarg.), bothnative to northwest North America ap-pear to be somewhat more resistant toHWA than their east coast relatives; how-ever, mountain and western hemlockgenerally grow poorly here.

Hybridization studies between NorthAmerican hemlocks and Asian hemlockshave shown promise (e.g. Bentz et al.2002). The potential for resistant plantsto survive in areas that have been heavilyinfested should be evaluated along withprogeny of crosses between susceptibleand resistant Tsuga. A comprehensive,replicated planting of diverse species ofhemlock would also provide a foundationfor additional work on mechanisms andgenetics of host plant resistance.

The hemlock wooly adelgid now in-festing the eastern United States isthought to have originated from southernJapan (Havill et al. 2006), which is thenative range of southern Japanese hem-lock. There is, most likely, considerablevariation in host plant resistance withinall species. Sue Bentz (US National Ar-boretum, personal communication) re-ported that infestations and damage onsouthern Japanese hemlock at USNA,Glenn Dale, MD and Morris Arboretum,Philadelphia, PA have ranged from noneto severe. Information on resistance ofother Asian species, varieties, popula-tions, and clones is lacking for the west-ern part of North Carolina. Furtherresearch is needed to determine adapt-ability to growing conditions and to de-termine variation in resistance, withinand between species especially in a fieldsetting.

Approximately 40 taxa comprised ofT. caroliniana, T. canadensis, T. sieboldii,T. chinensis, and T. diversifolia wereplanted at the Mountain HorticulturalCrops Research and Extension Center,Fletcher, NC (elev. 2200’) in spring2008. Growth habit of many of the Asianhemlock species is highly variable andefforts have been made to select particu-

larly desirable clones from collectionsthroughout the United States. Evalua-tions for resistance, form, and commer-cial merit will begin following plantingin the field. Evaluations will continue for5-10 years.

Cooperators for this project include:Bill Barnes, Lorax Farms, Warrington,PA; Charles Tubesing, Holden Arbore-tum, Kirtland, Ohio; David Parks,Camellia Forest Nursery, Chapel Hill,NC; Denny Werner, J.C. RaulstonArboretum, Raleigh, NC; Kunso Kim,Morton Arboretum, Lisle, IL; PaulCappiello, Yew Dell Gardens, Crest-wood, KY; Andrew Bell, Chicago Botan-ical Garden, Chicago, IL.; RichardOlsen, US National Arboretum,Washington, D.C.; Tomasz Aniśko,Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square PA.;Tony Aiello, Morris Arboretum,Philadelphia, PA; Washington ParkArboretum, Seattle, Washington.

We anticipate finding and docu-menting a broad range of resistance toHWA among these accessions, particu-larly among species. If adequate resist-ance is found within any of the speciesthis will provide opportunities to selectand introduce clonal cultivars and geno-types that may have utility for establish-ment of seed orchards to produceplanting. It is also anticipated that someof the Asian species and genotypes willexhibit high levels of resistance and thatselections (including cultivars) can bemade for desirable nursery and landscapecharacteristics including regional adapt-ability, desirable form, and rapid growthrates.Literature CitedBentz, S.E., L.G.H. Riedel, M.R. Poolerand A.M. Townsend. 2002. Hybridiza-

Evaluating Landscape Adaptability ofHemlock Species (Tsuga spp.) inWesternNorth Carolinaby Anthony V. LeBude and Thomas G. Ranney, NC State University

This article was originally published in the November/December 2007edition of Nursery Notes, the bi-monthly magazine of theNorth Carolina Nursery and Landscape Association.


tion and self-compatibility in controlledpollinations of eastern North Americanand Asian hemlock (Tsuga) species. J.Arboric. 28: 200-205.Havill, N.P., M.E. Montgomery, G.Yu,S. Shiyake, and A. Gaccone. 2006. Mi-tochondrial DNA from Hemlock WoolyAdelgid (Hemiptera: Adelgidae) sug-gests cryptic speciation and pinpointsthe source of the introduction to easternNorth America. Ann. Entomol. Soc. Am.99:195-203.Lagalante, A.F. 2003. Analysis of ter-penoids from hemlock (Tsuga) speciesby solid-phase microextraction/gas chro-matography/ion-trap mass spectrometry.J. Agr. And Food Chem. 51: 2115-2120.Lagalante, A.F., and M.E. Montgomery.2003. Analysis of terpenoids from hem-lock (Tsuga) species by solid-phasemicroextraction/gas chromatogra-phy/ion-trap mass spectrometry. J. Agr.And Food Chem. 51: 2115-2120.McClure, M. S., 1987. Biology and con-trol of hemlock woolly adelgid.Bull. Conn. Agric. Expt. Stn. No. 851, p.9pp McClure, M. S., S. M. Salom, andK. S. Shields, 2001. Hemlock woollyadelgid.

USDA, For. Serv. For. Health Tech. En-terprise Team, Tech. Transfer, FHTET-2001-03, p. 14pp McClure, M.S. 1992.Hemlock wooly adelgid. Amer. Nursery-man 175(6):82-89.McClure, M.S. 1995. Diapterobateshumeralis (Orkbatida: Ceratozetidae):An effective control agent of hemlockwooly adelgid (Homoptera: Adelgidae)in Japan. Environ. Ento. 24(5):1207-1215.McClure, M.S. 1996. Woolly Bully.Amer. Nurseryman 138(11):52-57.Montgomery, M.E. 1999. Woolly adel-gids in the Southern Appalachians: Whythey are harmful and prospects for con-trol. USDA Forest Health TechnologyEnterprise Team (FHTET-98-14). In:Proceedings of the Southern Ap-palachian Biological Control InitiativeWorkshop, Sept. 26-27, 1996, p 47-57.Montgomery, M.E., A.F. Lagalante, andK.S. Shields. 2005. Resistance of Hem-lock to Adelges tsugae: Promising newdevelopments. Third Symposium onHemlock Wooly Adelgid, Asheville,NC. Abstract.

Nominations Sought for 2010American Conifer SocietyAwards of MeritEvery year the American Conifer Society honors its members with Awards ofMerit. Nominations for next year’s recipients must be received by November 30,2009.

Marvin and Emelie SnyderAward of Merit forDedicated Supportof the ACS

This award recognizes those who have made outstanding contributions tothe American Conifer Society through their service, enthusiasm, commitmentand promotion of membership in the Society.

Also, this award acknowledges those who have been deeply involved inthe activities of the Society, organizationally or otherwise.

Award of Merit forDevelopment in the Field of ConifersThe criteria for this award include the collecting and displaying of

conifers, a willingness to share knowledge of plants, and the enthusiasm anddrive to discover and develop noteworthy cultivars.

Also taken into consideration are published articles, books, or texts as wellas new or improved propagation techniques and designs for the use of conifers.

To be considered, your nomination must be accompanied by an outline of thenominee’s contributions in the appropriate category. If you wish to nominatea member for either of these awards, include your candidate’s name, address,and phone number as well as a brief description of why the person is deservingof the award.Please send your nominations to:

Don Howse

41370 SE Thomas Road

Sandy, OR 97055

Phone/FAX: 503 668-5834

Email: [email protected]


For many years I have marveled at theextreme variations in our native trees.

As I travelled the forest of eastern Canadaduring my career in the forest industry, Idiscovered some very strange plant forms.Since retiring, my wife and I have joinedthe American Conifer Society. We areamazed at the many cultivars previouslyunknown to us in this area. We also noticedthat many of the northern conifers were notas widely publicized.

Several years ago, I decided to start

collecting and propagating some uniqueand yet bizarre plants. I would like to in-troduce a few of the many selections Ihave found and named and hope that oth-ers might enjoy them as much as we do.Most of my selections can be found atKingsbrae Gardens (ACS Member) in St.Andrews, New Brunswick. I stronglyrecommend a visit to the gardens wherethey have recently added to their conifercollection. I continue to add new speci-mens as I find them each year.

Red spruce (Picea rubens) is quitecommon in Atlantic Canada and somevery interesting dwarfs have been discov-ered. One that I’d like to share is the veryslow growing conical P. rubens ‘Halle’sCone’ that was discovered growing in anindustrial plantation in Nova Scotia. Thetree is currently about 5 feet tall withdwarf foliage and cones and is about 30years old. A very dense conical shape hasbeen retained with annual height growthabout 2 to 4 inches per year. This tree has

been successfully transplanted into culti-vation but is not yet propagated.

Another red spruce P. rubens ‘Char-lotte’s Pillow’was also discovered grow-ing in the wild in Nova Scotia and is adwarf dense mound with typical redspruce foliage and a darker green color.The tree is also about 30 years old and 2feet tall with very slow annual growth(<2 inches per year). It has not yet pro-duced seed. This tree has also been suc-cessfully transplanted into cultivation butis not yet propagated.

A few years ago I discovered abizarre white spruce I have named Piceaglauca ‘Scotia Spider’ growing in theditch along a major highway in NovaScotia. This tree is quite breathtaking inthat it has very rapid height growth withlittle or no internodal branching at anypart of the tree and a pronounced hook atthe ends of lateral branches. This tree has

been successfully propagated by graftingbut has not yet produced any cones.

Another interesting specimen isPicea mariana ‘Jack William’. This wasdiscovered growing in the wild in aspaced young conifer forest, which is anatural population that has been mechan-ically thinned to optimize growth forcommercial purposes. It has a very up-right habit with very attractive weepingbranches. It has good annual heightgrowth (>1 foot per year) and has beensuccessfully grafted. It is now establishedat several locations.

Recently I discovered another veryexciting black spruce Picea mariana‘Craig’ growing in a young forest planta-tion. This extremely dense and perfectlysymmetrical compact black spruce isvery similar to Picea glauca ‘Laurin’ andPicea abies ‘Ohlendorffii’. This is a

Collecting Northern Conifersby William Journeay

Picea rubens 'Halle's Cone' Picea rubens 'Charlotte's Pillow'

Picea glauca ‘Scotia Spider’

Picea mariana ‘JackWilliam’


beautiful tree for any location. It has beentransplanted to cultivation but has not yetbeen propagated. A red spruce and whitespruce exhibiting the same compact andsymmetrical shape have also been dis-covered and collected. The small conicalred spruce and white spruce were discov-ered at other locations. The white sprucewas along a highway and the red sprucewas discovered in a wild population inthe forest. All three are now established atKingsbrae gardens in St. Andrews, NewBrunswick.

Lastly, I would like to introducePicea glauca ‘Sandy’s Gold’. One of mywife’s favorites, this beautiful tree wasdiscovered along with a few other wildtrees growing in an old farm field. It is awell shaped tree with an amazing yellowflush of new growth that seems to lastlonger each year as the tree matures. Weexpect about 4 weeks of brilliant show

followed by a gradual fading to greenneedles with faint white tips. I have heardof a few other similar white spruce and ablack spruce in the area but have not seenthem. This tree is very comparable toPicea orientalis ‘Aurea’ and Picea orien-talis ’Early Gold’. It grafts well and hasbeen established at several locations.

These are but a few of the manystrange conifers that I have identified andhope to have officially recognized. I havemany that are still under investigationand have not yet been named or propa-gated. Most are at least established in mygarden. If there are any readers with aparticular interest in all northern conifers,I look forward to hearing from them toexchange ideas and photos.

About the author: Bill and SandraJourneay recently joined the ACS. Theylive and garden in Nova Scotia Canada.

Editor’s Note: Cultivars are namedselections of plants, usually clonallypropagated. To formally name a cultivar,the name needs to appear in print. Withthis article, Mr. Journeay has officiallynamed the plants. The plants not yetpropagated will become useful cultivarsonce they are propagated.

Picea mariana ‘Craig’ Picea glauca ‘Sandy’s Gold’

Picea glauca ‘Sandy’s Gold’


For those looking for a different experi-ence, consider a visit to Francis Beidler

Forest in Harleyville, South Carolina. Asan added bonus, visit the antebellum city ofCharleston and the nearby MagnoliaPlantation and Gardens – the oldestpublic garden in America.

Beidler Forrest is one of few remaininglocations where one has an opportunity tosee old-growth stands of bald-cypress(Taxodium distichum var. distichum).Most of the huge bald-cypress are in theneighborhood of 1,000 years old. Theoldest known tree in the sanctuary isapproximately 1,500 years old. Alongwith live oak (Quercus virginiana), bald-cypress is a legendary tree of the DeepSouth, famous for its knees, danglingSpanish moss, and buttressed trunk.Bald-cypress is in the Taxodiaceae fam-ily, which are not true cypresses. Truecypresses are in the Cupressaceae(cypress) family and are not native to thesoutheastern United States.

Beidler has a 1.75-mile boardwalktrail, which affords a close-up view of

life in the midst of an old-growthswamp. It also offers a canoe trail onwhich guided trips are led, providingvisitors the chance to explore deep intothe swamp’s interior.

As a footnote, the largest remainingold-growth stand of bald-cypress islocated at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuarynear Naples, Florida.

About the author: Tom Cox is past-pres-ident of the ACS and a rabid coniferlover. When he is away from hiscollection, he must always find coniferssomewhere.

Conifer Destinationsby Tom Cox

Websites:www.corkscrew.audubon.orgwww.beidlerforest.comwww.magnoliaplantation.com

2009 is our 63rd year in business.We offer dwarf and unusual conifers

and Japanese maples.

Please call ahead(717) 486-5142

816 Holly PikeMt. Holly Springs, PA 17065

www.suncrest-gardens.com

Karen & Mark Priebe

Toll Free 877-779-5715Fax 610-779-0555E-mail: [email protected]

• RARE AND UNUSUAL PLANTS• EXOTIC CONIFERS

610-779-571729 Klappenthal RoadReading, PA 19606

WOLF-RUNNURSERY

LANDSCAPES

wolfrunnursery.com

THE ENHANCEMENT OFNATURE’S DEFINITIVE SPACES


It took me 20 years of caring for andabout conifers to find out that there are

conifers with leaves. We hobby gardenerscommonly associate the term “conifer”with trees that bear cones and have needles.I acquired a leafy conifer at the plantauction of the SE Region meeting at Clem-son University, South Carolina, in fall2008. It is a donation of the Friends of theState Botanical Garden in Athens, Georgia.It is labeled “Broadleaf Conifer – Nageianagi.” The name did not mean anythingto me, so I asked an expert.

“It is in the family of thepodocarps,” I was told.

I asked, “Will it grow in zone 7?” Iwas assured it would if the location ismore 7b than 7a.

“It is a tough plant,” somebody said.

It is a pretty plant. It is 4 feet tall.When I inquired about the age of theplant, I was told, “Eight months, but itwas grown in a greenhouse. It will slowdown now.” I was reminded of an Arau-caria bidwellii I got stuck with at a silentACS auction because I was the sole

bidder. That plant put out 1.5 feet ofgrowth in each direction in my livingroom within six months, betweenSeptember and March. Since I was notwilling to raise my ceiling, I donated thisplant to the Lewis Ginter Botanical Gar-den in Richmond, Virginia. It is kept in agreenhouse there. When I visited inspring 2008, it looked fat and happy.

Having acquired an 8-month-old,4-foot-tall baby leafy conifer, I could notwait to get home and consult various treebooks. Here is what I learned:

1) Manual of Cultivated Conifers(Gerd Krüssmann): Among approxi-mately 100 species listed anddescribed, there it is P. nagi. Tree,15–20m (49-65 feet) from southernJapan.2) Conifers:The Illustrated Encyclo-pedia Volume 2: L to Z (D.M. vanGelderen and J.R.P. van HoeySmith): This book shows the treeand a branch with fruit.3) Trees and Shrubs: In a Firefly En-cyclopedia of more than 8,500plants, I learn that all six species inthe Nageia genus require well-drained soil and water during dryperiods. Their frost tolerance is min-imal. They are evergreen trees; theirdistinguishing feature is broad,lance-shaped, multi-veined leaves, acharacter that is unique in conifers.Nageia nagi is described as a treethat grows to 70 feet (21m) or moreand occurs in Japan, China, andTaiwan, which verifies Dr. Krüss-

mann’s outline in his world map.Hardiness: Zone 8–10.4) Trees of North America–GoldenField Guides: This book from St.Martin’s Press lists podocarps under“Some Introduced Gymnosperms”and shows a drawing of P. nagi thatillustrates the leaves and fruit.

I know a lot more about podocarpsby now. In time, I will have to make adecision:

Should I risk planting it outside? Or,should I keep it as a house plant and, assoon as it threatens to outgrow my livingroom, take it to Richmond and donate itto the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden?

About the Author:Maud Henne, a native of Germany,residing in Charlottesville, Virginia, hastaken care of her late husband’s conifercollection since 1989. She increased it toover 200 plants. Maud has been amember of ACS since 1985 and is a PastPresident of the Southeastern Region.She gives lectures about garden coniferswith slides and cuttings for plantsocieties and garden clubs, and is partof the lecture program for theCharlottesville Area Tree Stewards. In2007, her collection was featured onregional PBS.

Conifers with Leavesby Maud Henne

Don’t miss yourConifer Quarterly!Contact the Society withyour new address.

John MartinAmerican Conifer Society175 Charisma LaneLewisville, NC 27023-9611


ACS 2009 National Meeting

The Northeast Region is calling allconiferites to attend our annual meet-

ing to be held in Hauppauge, Long Island,New York, on August 6–8. We will embarkon a tour reminiscent of the Great Gatsby,visiting some of the best examples of late19th and early 20th century “robber baron”estates, complete with magnificent speci-men trees, lush gardens, and 100-year-old(in some cases older) pinetum plantings.Most of these conifers had only recentlybeen discovered in China and Japan byWestern horticulturists and plant explorersand were considered wildly exotic at thetime.

For those spouses whose enthusiasmfor conifers may be forced, you have theoption this year of visiting these estatehouses and seeing the furnishings,personal effects, and lifestyles of theCoe, Phipps, and Cutting families, almostas if they had only recently moved awayand left everything there for you to see.There is a great deal of history here,captured in architectural revival styles,furniture, and fabric design. This was aperiod of landscape innovation, with theOlmstead brothers having been veryactive on Long Island and, in particular,with the Planting Fields, which you willsee on the tour.

Taking our venues in order, on Au-gust 7, we will begin with HofstraUniversity (the site of the presidentialdebate last fall), a Dutchman’s college,which at one time devoted a significantproportion of its budget to campus plant-

ing and beautification. There are magnif-icent specimen trees of all species to befound here, and over the years, the uni-versity brought into its sphere some ofthe most distinguished early members ofour Society such as Ed Rezek, Joe Reis,Joel Spingarn, and James Cross. Their

The 2009 ACS National Meeting will be heldAugust 6–8, 2009, in Hauppauge,New York. Our host hotel will be the Hyatt Regency in Hauppauge.

The Jean Iseli Memorial AwardAPPLICATIONS NOW BEING ACCEPTED AND MUST BE RECEIVED BY

JUNE 1, 2009The American Conifer Society, which supports the development,conservation and propagation of conifers with an emphasis ondwarf or unusual varieties, awards a $3,000 grant to a public

garden, arboretum or horticultural institution.

The award was established in 1986 in honor of the memory ofplantsman, Jean Iseli of Boring, Oregon. Jean Iseli was an ACS

founder and conifer propagator.

Proposals must contain the following:a. Name, full address, and phone number of the applicant/institutionb. Brief description of how ACS funds will be usedc. List of plant materials (if the request involves conifer purchases)d. Budgete. Short overview of mission statement or horticultural background

of your institution

Send Applications to:Ethan [email protected] (Microsoft Word documents)

or by regular mailc/o The Holden Arboretum9500 Sperry RoadKirtland, OH 044094

Ethan Johnson chairs a three-person commitee that reviews applica-tions and makes its recommendation to the ACS Board of Directors

at the annual summer meeting.

Announcements of the award recipient will be made byAugust 1, 2009.

OldWestbury Gardens

to start an arboretum devoted to conifers.Some of these early trees were

venerable specimens when a terriblehurricane occurred in the 1960s thatwiped out a distressing number of them.Today, after a determined effort toreplant, there is a nice mix of the oldspecimens with younger trees, some ofwhich are now approaching 50 years old.Everyone at the arboretum is very ex-cited about our visit. The director said,“Wouldn’t Bayard have been pleased?”You will be pleased, too!

Come to Long Island this summerand prepare yourselves to be well takencare of and well entertained!

ExtendedTourThe four-day extended tour (August

9–12) will range from gardens that arecharming and will delight you to thosethat will amaze and astonish you! The

fabled Hamptons on the eastern end ofLong Island, a playground of the oncerich and famous, will be our primaryfocus. We will visit public as well as pri-vate gardens, some devoted to conifers,one to sculpture, one to perennials, onewith a strong Chinese classical designstyle, and one that is an intimate gardenso cleverly composed and packed withplants, you’ll be very cross when told itstime to leave.

We have been invited to have lunchat two of the area’s foremost gardencenters and design firms, The Bayberryin Amagansett and Marders in Bridge-hampton. Lastly, very good wine is madein Eastern Long Island, and a winery stopis planned to let you sample some!

The extended tour usually sells outquickly as there is room for only 50people. This is going to be a good one asextended tours go, so don’t miss out.

Send your application back byreturn mail!

influence and plant contributions areevident throughout the campus.

We will then board the buses for OldWestbury Gardens, still owned by thePhipps family and a prime example of aCharles II-style mansion with interiorfurnishings and garden amenities typicalof the era. We will tour the mansion orgrounds, according to your interests, andthen assemble in the café in the woodsfor a picnic lunch.

Following lunch, we will board thebuses for the Coe Estate, known as thePlanting Fields, and a New York historicpublic arboretum and state park. TheTudor revival mansion will again be opento conifer refusenics, but as always, theperfectly spaced ancient specimen trees,the pinetum, and the dramatic Olmsteadlandscape make it difficult for you tochoose!

The next day, Saturday, will befull of adventure! We start off with a busride to the prominent and internationallyknown New York Botanical Garden, con-sidered by many to be the finest publicgarden in the United States. They have a95 million dollar annual budget, whichsupports not only the gardens but also theInternational Plant Science Center. Thecenter, along with the Mertz Library andSteere Herbarium, are regarded as amongthe best in the world.

Funds for the arboretum have tradi-tionally been raised by the “must have”ticket of the New York social season, theannual New York Botanic Garden Ball.The NYBG is delighted to host theAmerican Conifer Society and will beparticularly pleased to show off theirnewly restored Benenson OrnamentalConifers, a collection of dwarf and un-usual conifers that our late member Sid

Waxman was instrumental in assembling.Tram rides will be available to ensurethat we see as much as possible of thishistoric and beautifully maintained ar-boretum and spectacular public garden.

The next stop on Saturday may wellbe the sleeper of the entire weekend.Bayard Cutting was a wealthy financierand railroad investor who built an exten-sive estate on Long Island’s south shorebordering the Connetequot River. He wasa well traveled man who, like his peers,became interested in the flow of newplants coming into the country. Instead ofsettling with just your ordinary everydaypinetum, Mr. Cutting seems to have beenan early victim of coniferitus and went on


We invite you to visit theseWeb sitesto learnmore about the great thingsin store for you at the 2009 NationalMeeting:

www.nybg.org

www.bayardcuttingarboretum.com

http://www.hofstra.edu/Community

/Arbor/index.html

www.oldwestburygardens.org

www.plantingfields.org

NewYork Botanical Gardens

Bayard Cutting Arboretum


The forests of the western United Statesrange from temperate rainforests to

sub-alpine environments. Across the distri-bution of these coniferous forests, severalspecies of maples can be found, growingprimarily on sites having a balanceof moisture (mesic sites). The fiery red,orange and magenta fall colors of vinemaple (Acer circinatum) and Douglasmaple (Acer glabrum) contrasted againstthe rich dark green of their conifer neigh-bors is striking. Gardeners can achievethis same effect with the use of Japanesemaples.

As coniferous forests transition tothe alpine zone, visitors can see an amaz-ing assortment of herbaceous plants,shrubs and grasses. The transitionbetween subalpine and alpine environ-ments can provide a perfect template fora conifer collector’s garden design.

Boulders, stunted and contorted conifers,and a tapestry of alpine plants create a di-versity of texture, form, and color.Conifer enthusiasts range from dedicatedcollectors who enjoy planting groups ofcultivars from one species, to gardenerswho use conifers to achieve a desireddesign effect; all can benefit from gooddesign principles.

The 2009 Western Region meetingwill provide an opportunity to learn moreabout the use of conifers, Japanesemaples, and alpine plants. Fridayevening, Robert Fincham will kickthings off with a presentation on conifercultivars and their uses in the landscape,including a comparison of old selectionswith new selections. With a presentationtitle of: The Good, The Bad, and TheUgly: Beauty is in the eye of thebeholder, you know it will be good!

Saturday morning Frank Byles willtalk about the use of Japanese maples inthe landscape. Frank has amassed a col-lection of about 800 Japanese maples,many of which have been installed on thecampus of South Puget Sound Commu-nity College (SPSCC). Following hispresentation, the group will tour thecollection at SPSCC.

After lunch on Saturday, the groupwill tour three not-to-be-missed gardens!One garden was voted to be one of bestsix gardens on Puget Sound; another wasfeatured in a national garden magazine.The evening will include a no-host bar,silent auction, dinner, a keynote presenta-tion, and the oral auction. Lucy Hardi-man will present the keynote. Lucy is afifth generation Oregon gardener. She isrecognized for her innovative approachesto garden design. Her garden and those ofclients have appeared in many magazinesand books. Lucy is well known as a fun,dynamic speaker.

A Sunday breakfast presentation byRick Lupp will be on constructing sandbeds for growing alpines and conifers.Rick is owner of Mt. Tahoma Nursery, asmall specialty nursery involved in theselection, propagation and selling ofchoice rock garden, alpine house and

woodland plants. Following this, folkscan travel to Coenosium Gardens wherethey can tour the pinetum and purchaseplants from Robert Fincham, Rick Luppand Frank Byles.

Hope to see you there!(Need more information? Contact MarcMcCalmon ([email protected])

Conifers, JapaneseMaples andAlpines –OhMy!byMarcMcCalmon

The 2009Western Regionmeeting will be held In OlympiaWashington, June26-28. The meeting will focus on the utilization of conifers, Japanese maples,and alpine plants in gardens.


Four Southeast Reference Gardens re-ceived great news in early February, as

grants designed to improve their coniferprograms were approved by the ACS, bothnationally and regionally.

East Tennessee State UniversityArboretum (ETSUA), JohnsonCity, Ten-nessee, led the list by receiving a $3,000grant, which was awarded to the South-east Region from the American ConiferSociety. This National Grant, designatedfor a Reference Garden, rotates amongthe four regions each year. In 2009, it wasthe Southeast Region’s turn and ETSUAwas our Region’s recommendation. Thegrant will pay for a new conifer gardendesigned to showcase two interesting bi-ological themes. The first theme willshow the close evolutionary relationshipbetween geographically distant specieswithin a conifer genus.

The second theme will highlight theextreme morphological variation in sizeand growth form which occurs within asingle conifer species. This size-variationtheme continues ETSUA’s emphasis ondwarf conifers and their many interestingvariations. Our regional president DuaneRidenour presented a recommendationabout ETSUA to the ACS National Boardat their February meeting, and the recom-mendation to fund the $3,000 project wasunanimously approved. Dr. Frosty Levyand Dr. Tim McDowell from ETSUAproposed this new conifer garden as a

natural extension of the education-basedconifer gardens that already exist oncampus. Work on the new garden willbegin soon, and a full report on the com-pleted garden will be made later this year.

Three other regional gardens sub-mitted grant requests, and the SoutheastRegion awarded funds to these gardens:

The Atlanta Botanical Garden (ABG),Atlanta, Georgia, requested and received$1,000, which will be used to replacemany conifers which have grown beyondtheir allotted space over the past severalyears. With our grant money, ABG willremove some oversized specimens andreplace them with varieties that will bet-ter fit the space. Stay tuned for updateson which new cultivars are included inthis planting. The SE Region is glad tosupport ABG’s continuing commitmentto showcasing a diverse and uniqueconifer collection in the Southeast.

The University of Tennessee Gardens,Knoxville, Tennessee, was awarded$1,500 toward updating conifer signageon new specimens as well as helping todefray some expenses of a plannedconifer symposium scheduled for Sep-tember 2009. The Garden has substan-tially expanded its conifer collection inthe past few years, so keeping the signagecurrent is an important component of theReference Garden program. We are al-ways glad to hear of pending conifer-re-lated programs, so helping to fund such a

program makes good use of our Regionalmoney.

The J. SargentReynoldCommunity Col-lege (JSRCC), Goochland, Virginia, wasawarded $1,500 toward the installationof a conifer garden which will qualify asa Reference Garden once completed.This new garden will serve as an educa-tional, outdoor, hands-on classroom fo-cused on conifer diversity, cultural care,and use/evaluation by future landscapeand nursery professionals studying fortheir Associate’s Degree at JSRCC. TheAl Gardner Conifer Garden has a highlevel of support from the college, areanurseries and suppliers, garden clubs,and avid conifer enthusiasts. Contribut-ing toward the development of a newgarden, which will also serve as a Refer-ence Garden, is another good investmentby the Southeast Region.

You might wonder where the re-gional grant money comes from. Each

year, one of the highlights of theRegional Meeting is the plant auctions,both live and silent. The proceeds fromthese auctions go directly into our treas-ury and then are funneled back to our re-gional gardens through the ReferenceGarden Grant Program. The amountavailable year to year varies, dependingon the success of the auction. The 2009Southeast Regional Meeting is scheduledfor September 18–19 in Richmond,Virginia. We’re encouraging all membersto start saving their pennies to spendduring the auction, as their frenziedbidding will result in improvements formore of our Reference Gardens nextyear.

About the Author: Barbie Colvin and herhusband Rick live and garden inMilledgeville, Georgia. Barbie is VicePresident of the Southeast Region andalso chairs the SE ACS ReferenceGarden Committee. She can be reachedat [email protected].

$7,000Awarded to Four SoutheastRegional Gardensby Barbie Colvin

Publication DatesDeadline to Publication Date

Issue Calendar Quarter submit articles (approx. mailing)

Winter Jan/Feb/Mar Nov 15 Jan 15Spring Apr/May/Jun Feb 15 Apr 15Summer Jul/Aug/Sept May 15 July 15Fall Oct/Nov/Dec 31 Aug 15 Oct 15

Submit articles/photos to:Evelyn Cox, Conifer Quarterly Editor • 1621 N. Lake Dr., Canton, GA 30115PH (770) 663-7576 • E-mail: [email protected]

OfficersPresident Ellen Kelley, 3445 Oakory Ln, Bettendorf, IA 52722-3938

PH (563) 650-2212Vice President Ridge Goodwin, P.O. Box 310, Holicong, PA 18928

PH (215) 794-3216Secretary Kathleen Pottratz, 42438 SWVandehey Rd., Gaston, OR 97119

PH (503) 985-7561, E-mail: [email protected] President Tom Cox, 1621 N Lake Dr., Canton, GA 30115

PH (770) 772-9747, FAX (770) 663-4063, E-mail: [email protected]

DirectorsTerm expires 2010 Scott Burrell, 428 North Boulevard, Richmond, VA 23221

PH (804) 339-0873, FAX (804) 354-8247, E-mail [email protected], Stanley M. Rowe Arboretum,4600 Muchmore Rd, Cincinnati, OH 45243PH (513)-561-5151, E-mail: [email protected] Harris, III P. O. Box 518 Boring OR 97009-0518PH (503)-663-3822, E-mail [email protected] Kral, 900 Winton Rd. N, Rochester, NY 14609PH (585) 288-5082, E-mail: [email protected]

Regional PresidentsNortheastern Region Larry Nau, 25 Knollwood Dr., Churchville, NY, 14428

PH (585) 202-1815, E-mail: [email protected] Region Bill Barger, 3200 RohrerRd, Wadsworth, OH 44281

PH (330) 336-9695, E-mail: [email protected] Region Brian Jacob 13455 SE Lafayette Hwy., Dayton, OR 97114

PH (503) 868-7941 Email: [email protected] Region Duane Ridenour, P.O. Box 361, Jacksboro, TN 37757

PH (865) 310-1026

Conifer Society StaffNational Office JohnMartin, 175 Charisma Lane, Lewisville, NC 27023-9611

PH (336) 945-0483, FAX (336) 945-0484, E-mail: [email protected], Evelyn Cox, 1621 N. Lake Drive, Canton, GA 30004Conifer Quarterly PH (770) 663-7576

E-mail:[email protected]

Graphic Design & Monya Barnes, 2255 Barrett Drive, Cumming, GA 30040Printing PH (770) 888-0434, E-mail:[email protected]

www.conifersociety.org

Directorate

Treasurer

48 CONIFER QUARTERLY Vol. 26 No. 2

Picea pungens 'Blue Pearl'

Photo by Dennis Groh

Picea pungens 'Blaukissen'

Photo by Dennis Groh

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