Southeastern Conifer

Transcription

1 Volume 14 June 2013 Southeastern Conifer American Conifer Society Southeastern Region Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia Inside This Issue From the SE President By Sue Hamilton, TN Pages 1, 2 SE Reference Gardens Page 2 Changes for ACS Page 3 Candidate for SE President Dr. John Ruter, GA Page 3, 4 Candidate for SE Vice President Dr. Sue Hamilton Page 4 Candidates for SE Treasurer Jeff and Jennifer Harvey,TN, Page 5 State Botanical Garden GA By Jeanette Coplin, G A Pages 6-9 Boxerwood Nature Center Lexington, VA By Faith Vosburgh, VA Page 10,11 Conifer Talk from TN By Andy Pulte, TN Page 12 Events 2013 ACS National Meeting Mt Kisko, NY August ACS SE Region Meeting Memphis, TN October 11 and 12, 2013 From the ACS SE President It s June and we are just two months away from the 2013 National ACS Conference in Mt. Kisco, New York on August Registration is limited to 200 members so don t delay if you want to attend. Check out the national ACS website to learn more details Our Southeastern regional meeting in Memphis on October 11 th and 12 th is in the final planning stages and I can tell you that this conference will treat you to some truly special and beautiful private gardens showcasing the beauty of conifers in the Southern landscape. One neat stop we will make on our Saturday garden tours is to Brussels Bonsai Nursery, the largest importer and grower of bonsai in the United States! You ll be treated to seeing a variety of indoor and outdoor bonsai and learning more about this unique art. Of course conifers are the largest group of plants used in making these beautiful living sculptures, so it will be fun to learn more and even shop for a bonsai that speaks your name. Our host for the conference this year will not be a hotel but the Dixon Gallery and Gardens! They have beautiful gardens you will enjoy exploring and wonderful meeting spaces for our meals, speakers, and plant auctions. Less than two miles away is the Doubletree Hotel which is giving us a special ACS group rate. See details in the highlighted box below. Memphis is a fun city and the National Geographic Traveler editors have selected Memphis as one of 20 must-see places in 2013! They write there s something newly electric in the air and credits the vision of Stax Museum of American Soul Music, Shelby Farms Park and Central BBQ for their innovative and DIY spirit in making Memphis great. Conference details and registration will be mailed soon and posted on our national and regional websites. Southeast ACS Regional Meeting: Mark your calendar and make plans now to attend our annual regional conifer conference. I guarantee this to be a meeting you don t want to miss. See page 2 for details about the hotel. Until next time. Sue Susan L. Hamilton,Ed.D. Associate Professor University of TN Garden Director Knoxville, TN Phone: sueham@utk.edu

2 Page 2 Southeastern Conifer June 2013 The SE Region Meeting, Memphis, TN The Doubletree Hotel is offering us a group rate for the nights of October 11 and 12 for $89 (plus 15.95% tax making the total of $103.20/night). I recommend making your hotel reservations now to get this special ACS group rate through September 20 th. To learn more about the hotel and to make an early reservations go to hot els/t ennessee/doublet ree- by- hilt on- hotelmemphis-memehdt/index.html or call The hotel is located at 5069 Sanderlin Avenue, Memphis, Tennessee, Visit a Conifer Reference Garden With the 2013 Regional Meeting in Memphis, TN this October, plan to attend the meeting and visit a Conifer Reference Garden or two on your way there or home. There are 14 ACS Conifer Reference Gardens in the SE Region. By state, there are 4 in GA; 1 in NC, SC, and FL; 4 in VA; and 3 in TN. The following link will take you to a map of the SE region, showing all of our Reference Garden locations a6ca3fc22d38ffda5&msa=0 Volunteers Needed It takes many hands and volunteers to pull off our regional meeting. I d love to have you be part of making our Memphis meeting a big success! There are all kinds of ways you can help. If interested, please contact me via phone or or sueham@utk.edu. Auction plants needed The live and silent plant auction during our conference this October is vital to the financial wellbeing of our region and to funding grants to support our reference gardens. If you would like to contribute to the auction, please contact me via phone or or sueham@utk.edu. The ACS SE Region Conifer Reference Gardens Florida Gardens of the Big Bend, Quincy, FL Georgia Atlanta Botanical Garden, Atlanta, GA Lockerly Arboretum, Milledgeville, GA Smith Gilbert Gardens, Kennesaw, GA State Botanical Garden of Georgia, Athens, GA North Carolina JC Raulston Arboretum, Raleigh, NC South Carolina Hatcher Garden, Spartanburg, SC South Carolina Botanical Gardens, Clemson, SC Tennessee East Tennessee State University Arboretum Johnson City, TN University of TN-Jackson West TN Research & Ed Center Gardens, Jackson, TN University of Tennessee Gardens, Knoxville, TN Virginia Al Gardner Memorial Garden-J.Sargeant Reynolds Community College, Goochland, VA Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, Richmond, VA Norfolk Botanical Garden, Norfolk, VA State Arboretum of Virginia, Boyce, VA All of these gardens have websites with addresses, directions and events. American Conifer Society SE Region SE President: Sue Hamilton, sueham@utk.edu SE Vice President: Tom Neff-tsneff2003@yahoo.com SE Treasurer: John Quackenbush, quack 17@bellsouth.net Regional Director on ACS Board: Tom Neff see above Reference Gardens: Barbie Colvin, colvinrcbc@windstream.net SE Webmaster: Ford, -bford15@utk.edu SE Newsletter Editor: Maud Henne,-wollemi27@gmail.com SE Technical Advisor: Tom Cox, -coxarb@bellsouth.net

3 Page 3 Southeastern Conifer June 2013 Changes in ACS and ACS SE From the Editor: ACS is facing important changes: 1) Webmaster Bill Barger resigned. His successor is Sean Callahan see below. 2) John Martin, National Office, wants to resign and is looking for a successor. The management of the National Office is a paid position. 3) Sue Hamilton s time as SE President runs out. 4) Dr. John Ruter from GA is interested to be elected for that position. See the following biography. Page 3 5) Tom Neff s time as SE vice president runs out. Sue Hamilton is interested in getting elected for that post. Page 4 5) SE Treasurer/ Secretary John Quackenbush decided it is time for a change after he has served for 8 years. Jeff and Jennifer Harvey,TN, have expressed interest to take over. See their writ on page 5. The changes of officers in the SE will need a vote from the SE membership. You will get a ballot in July The New ACS Webmaster By Maud Henne The Editor of Coniferous Contemplations, the Northeast Region Conifer Newsletter, Suzanne Mahoney, published an interview with the new ACS Webmaster Sean Callahan in the summer issue. The longtime ACS webmaster Bill Barger has resigned and Sean has taken over. Sean lives in Brunswick, ME and has been an ACS member for a long time. As he has a background in publishing he became part of the Editorial Advisory Council and part of the discussions to change and upgrade the ACS website. As the interview spans over more than four pages, I suggest that if you are interested in details you go to the ACS website: conifersociety.org and look for the Summer 2013 newsletter of the Northeast region. Part of the new solution will be presented at the 2013 National Meeting in Mt.Kisko. Altogether the new system is planned to function by the end of the year. Read about more details of the interview on the ACS website: Dr. John M. Ruter, GA Candidate for SE President I have been a member of ACS since I have attended several national and regional meetings. What I like about ACS : the society has great people and I like the chance to interact with others from around the country. I also get to promote the fact that a great number of conifers can be grown in the Southeast, even in the Deep South, a mission I have been on for at least 15 years or so and that led to the publication of the new book Landscaping with Conifers and Ginkgo for the Southeast -in conjunction with Tom Cox and the University Press of Florida. My professional bio and my qualifications: I am a Professor with The University of Georgia and have been with the Department of Horticulture at the Tifton Campus since I am originally from southern California and received my B.S. degree in Ornamental Horticulture from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo in I received my M.S. degree in Ornamental Horticulture and Landscape Design from the University of Tennessee in 1986 and completed my Ph.D. in Horticultural Science at the University of Florida in Research and extension activities are focused on nursery crop production and plant breeding and selection for the southeastern United States. I do research on container production systems and as a plantsman. Production research is currently being conducted on reducing nutrient losses and water use in container nurseries. Current research objectives for plant breeding and selection are: 1. To develop and evaluate new plants for southeastern landscapes which have new horticultural characteristics or improved environmental tolerances. 2. To develop sterile forms of popular ornamental plants that will not be invasive. 3. Development of Camellia oleifera, Tea oil, as a new oil crop for the southeastern United States.

4 Page 4 Southeastern Conifer June 2013 I have evaluated ~ 300 Ilex taxa as well as the following groups of plants: Acer, Cotoneaster, Evergreen Ferns, Gardenia, Hydrangea, Illicium, Ornamental Conifers, Ornamental Grasses, Prunus, Rhaphiolepis, Spiraea, Syringa, and Viburnum. Tea oil camellia (Camellia oleifera) produces healthy cooking oil, high in oleic acid, with numerous other industrial and pharmacological uses. This species is being evaluated as a new edible oil crop. I served as chairman of the Coastal Plain Research Arboretum, focusing on native flora of the Georgia coastal plain from My breeding and selection programs have also released and patented several ornamental cultivars since I have published over 400 scientific and popular articles. I co-authored the popular high school and community college text Introduction to Horticulture which is now in its 5th edition and just released Landscaping with Conifers and Ginkgo for the Southeast with the University Press of Florida. Among my awards and honors are the Award of Merit given by the Garden Clubs of Georgia for his work in preserving and promoting native plants. In 1999 I was named Educator of the Year by the Georgia Green Industry Association and also received the Porter Henegar Memorial Award from the Southern Nursery Association for outstanding contributions to environmental horticulture research. In 2000 I received the D.W. Brooks Faculty Award for Excellence in Research given by the University of Georgia, and the 2002 Distinguished Achievement Award for Nursery Crops given by the American Society for Horticultural Science as well as the William F. Kosar Award from the Holly Society of America which is given to an outstanding plantsman for contributions to the hybridization, evaluation, selection, or introduction of hollies. In 2006, I received the Shiu-ying Hu Award from the Holly Society of America for outstanding contributions to knowledge of the genus Ilex through scholarly study and research and in 2008 received the Sigma Xi Creative Research Award for my research on the necessity of nickel as an essential micronutrient for ornamental tree production. I graduated from the national LEAD 21 agricultural leadership program as a representative from The University of Georgia and was honored in 2011 with my selection as the Allan M. Armitage Endowed Professor of Horticulture at The University of Georgia where I teach classes in plant identification and environmental issues in horticulture and serve as Director of the UGA Trial Gardens. As SE President and ACS Board member I would 1) assist in getting support of research funding for work on conifers, 2) promote the support of student awards to support research and/or travel for work with conifers, 3) look into interacting with the CAPS group ( Coalition of American Plant Societies). This group is doing some very interesting work and I hope to attend their national meeting in Virginia next spring. 4) I would like to take a SE regional meeting to an area we have not yet visited before and 5) help to make the ACS National Meeting in Atlanta next year (2014) a huge success. Dr. Sue Hamilton Candidate for SE Vice President Dr. Sue Hamilton is the director of the University of Tennessee Gardens where over 100,000 visitors enjoy their beauty and education each year. The UT Gardens are important proving grounds where each year hundreds of different cultivars of trees, shrubs, annuals, perennials, and herbs are evaluated for their landscape performance. Dr. Sue is co-host of Garden Talk talk radio show that airs weekly. She has authored the book The Best Garden Plants for Tennessee and writes for the Knoxville News Sentinel, Tennessee Farm & Home Magazine, Fine Gardening Magazine, and produces the UT Gardens monthly e-newsletter and bi-annual magazine. Sue also enjoys plant and garden photography and regularly speaks to groups on various horticultural topics. She is a member of the Garden Writers DAssociation, American Conifer Society, Perennial Plant Association, American Public Garden Association, and the American Society of Horticultural Science. She also is an avid gardener and enjoys traveling to visit gardens, nurseries, and garden centers. Dr.Sue has a Bachelor's of Science degree in Ornamental Horticulture from the University of Tennessee, 1980; a Master's degree in Horticulture from Ohio State University, 1983; a Doctorate degree in Adult Education from the University of Tennessee, 1995.

5 Page 5 Southeastern Conifer June 2013 Jeff and Jennifer Harvey, TN Candidates for SE Treasurer/Secretary Jennifer and I have been gardening since shortly after we met. Her Aunt Edna got her started when she was knee hi to a grasshopper. Her Aunt enjoyed daffodils, peonies, daylilies and had some of the largest Pee Gee hydrangeas that I have ever seen. Jennifer was never happy not having dirt under her nails so when we moved into our town house she was allowed 2 feet by 8 foot area to plant, it was packed full. When we built our first house the construction company must have thought we were truly crazy, we had the rabbit fence and veggie garden planted one month before we were scheduled to move in. Priorities! This is where things went crazy, we had unbelievable sandy soil. Great for digging, we used to have a celebration every time we found a rock we could display (those were the good ole days). There we tried just about every perennial we could find as well as over 300 roses on a 1.5 acre lot. We were for sure the outcasts of suburbia. We did not fit the two children, one maple tree in the front yard and a dog scenario. As Jennifer will tell you she has created a monster, I was a city slicker, we had a lot with grass when I was a kid. I knew nothing about gardening. I could really not get Jennifer s need for dirt at first. She got me every magazine she could get and I just keep reading. I was hocked how could I not love it with that sandy rockless soil. Once we were able to escape suburbia we became truly interested in conifers. We moved to Newark NY, the Jackson and Perkins House, yes the rose people. The property had 100-year-old sergeant hemlocks you could sleep under. They were incredible. We also rejuvenated an overgrown 70- year-old yew 400-foot hedgerow. It took 3 year, the first year I removed the inside, and the second and third year the sides. With a little work yews can be rejuvenated. While in New York we did a lot of work for the Rochester Rose Society, of which Jennifer and I were both officers, and at the Webster Arboretum where I was a member of the board. We had a great time helping the arboretum grow. We have been encouraging them to be a reference garden in the Northeast Region; they have a wonderful collection of miniature and dwarf conifers. While in NY we also started a small plant business. As Jennifer would tell you, it was an over grown hobby and a way to fuel my new obsession for plants. We have since moved to outside Nashville TN. We came in 2 tractor-trailers and a 26-foot moving van. The van (the largest one you can rent) was just for our plants. We brought over 500 plants with us from our garden. But were we in for a surprise, no more sandy soil. Every time I can dig a hole for a plant WITHOUT hitting a rock we have a celebration dance. Jennifer was telling her garden friends in NY that Jeff was dragging her to a place that cacti grew in the lawn since there were so many rocks. We now have roughly 10 acres and we used to have a plaque that said stop and smell the roses but it should now say stop and cuddle the conifers. We have steered away from sampling many perennials and have been collecting shrubs, trees, and of course conifers. Pretty flowers are nice which is why we use a lot of iris, daylily and peonies in the garden but they are fleeting. The shrubs and trees encourage us to get outside during all seasons especially in the winter to enjoy the various winter colors and silhouettes of the garden. We still have our plant business and specialize in the weird and unusual mostly woody plants, with heavy concentration on conifers. We are looking forward to serving the society in the secretary/treasurer role.

6 Page 6 Southeastern Conifer June 2013 From the Age of Dinosaurs to the Cradle of Civilization and Beyond Protecting the Earth s Oldest Living Plant Species State Botanical Garden of Georgia, Athens GA By Jeannette Coplin, Director of Horticulture and Grounds The State Botanical Garden of Georgia (SBG) is a 313 acre preserve located in Athens, on rolling hills in the Piedmont. We are a unit of the University of Georgia, under the auspices of the Vice President for Public Service and Outreach. As such, we are tasked with a tri-part mission of teaching, research, and public outreach. And while we are a university-owned botanical garden, we are also a community garden central to the lives of many students and residents of Athens-Clarke County and the surrounding region. SBG was the first garden in the Southeast Region to be awarded ACS Reference Garden status. And since that time, we have added over 250 individuals to our conifer collection, representing 160 species and cultivars. So while our Reference Garden is housed adjacent to the Callaway Building, the conifer collection extends from tropical species in the Visitor Center throughout all our themed gardens, to at-risk native populations in the natural areas. So, when we applied for our regional grant last year, the goals as always were to educate our visiting public (including non-traditional Garden users) about conifers and encourage the use of conifers in southeastern gardens and landscapes. To do this effectively at SBG, we needed to diversify and enhance the collection, broaden conservation efforts, and improve educational signage throughout the Garden. Collections Expansion: The True Cedars Our SE ACS funding was used to expand Cedrus species and cultivars in the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern Collection of the International Garden. While taxonomists differ in their opinions, we based our collection of true cedars on the accepted taxonomy related in an article published by USDA Forest Service plant physiologist Paula M. Pijut in the July 2000 edition of the Journal of Arboriculture. Of the four species of true cedars here recognized, we lacked Cedrus brevifolia, Cyprian cedar, and our Cedrus atlantica, Blue Atlas cedar, had suffered extensive sapsucker damage. Expansion of this collection was a good choice for SBG for a number of reasons. First, they are all magnificent conifers native to the Middle East with durable and decay resistant wood. Cedar of Lebanon, Cedrus libani, was used to build Phoenician ships and in Egyptian mummification the sawdust found in tombs of the Pharaohs. Moses ordered Hebrew priests to use the bark to treat leprosy. And because of their economic value, extensive deforestation has occurred, resulting in small remnants of the original forests. These are examples of the stories we can tell our visitors, particularly children. After all, what child isn t fascinated with mummies?! We replaced our damaged Cedrus atlantica with a serpentine form to add interest and show that topiary is an option and added the cultivars Fastigiata and Silberspitz. Cedrus brevifolia was planted, along with four cultivars of C. libani, including Aurea, Beacon Hill, Blue Angel, and Green Prince. And the Deodars! Deodara derives from a Sanskrit term meaning wood of the gods. In Hinduism, Deodars are worshipped as divine trees and have been used to build temples and in temple landscapes. The inner wood is also used for making incense and essential oils. Old trees grace Athens neighborhoods testimony to the adaptability of this species, and with all the sizes and foliar colors available, there must be a Deodar suited to every residential garden and landscape in the southeast. We added twelve cultivars, from Limeglow to Electra Blue, Raywood s Contorted to Twisted Growth. Cedrus deodara Limeglow

7 Page 7 Southeastern Conifer June 2013 Cedrus atlantica Silberspitz Cedrus deodara Feelin Blue Cedrus deodara Glauca Pendula Interpretive Signs: Endangered/Relict/ Safeguarded Collections The second part of this twelve months project included enhancing our endangered, relict, and safeguarded conifer collections and their interpretation. Beginning with a gift, our collection of tropical and subtropical conifers features the genus Araucaria. Relicts from the Mesozoic age with restricted geographical ranges, Araucarians are living fossils surviving from an earlier time in an environment that has undergone extreme climatic changes. In fact, these tall columnar trees may have contributed to the evolution of the long necks of certain dinosaurs that browsed specifically on Araucaria foliage. In the spring of 2007, a UGA student from Brazil brought us seed after a home visit. He relayed to us how beautiful this tree is and how Brazilians eat their seeds boiled similar to the way Southerners eat boiled peanuts. The seeds were sown, the progeny grown, and in 2011 we planted seven of the critically endangered Paraña pine Araucaria angustifolia in a protected location of the Spanish America section of the International Garden. And they re thriving! For our tropical collection we acquired from the auction at our regional meeting in Athens! two more members of the genus Araucaria A. montana and A. bidwillii, Bunya Pine, native to Australia and also known as False Monkey Puzzle, is sacred to the Australian Aboriginal people and an important food source for the tribes. And A. montana, New Caledonian Mountain Araucaria, is a vulnerable species facing a high risk of extinction in the wild due to fragmentation of the population, habitat loss and a decline in mature individuals. Closer to home, SBG coordinates the effort to safeguard Torreya taxifolia in the state of Georgia through the work of the Georgia Plant Conservation Alliance. Florida torreya was once so abundant, settlers along the Apalachicola used it for fence posts and shingles, riverboat fuel, even Christmas trees. Today, twelve individuals remain on the Georgia side of the river.

8 Page 8 Southeastern Conifer June 2013 Our state has the only full set of all surviving Torreya taxifolia wild clones (propagated by cuttings) in cultivation. Two of these safeguarded populations are housed at SBG. Wild trees continue to decline despite changing forest management practices and applying horticultural techniques in the field. But the fungus infecting this species has now been identified by the University of Florida. And the Atlanta Botanical Garden is using an allozyme study to determine how closely related, or genetically diverse, wild populations are. They also resolved the proper technique for growing Florida cedar from seed, while undergraduates at the Georgia Institute of Technology have perfected the preservation of embryos cryogenically (in deep freeze!). The tissue can be brought safely back, enabling us to further safeguard Torreya taxifolia genetic material using multiple strategies and technologies. Also housed at SBG is a protected collection of Eastern Hemlocks, planted along the woods edge of the Flower Garden. Tsuga canadensis has been attacked and killed by the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (HWA) since it was first detected on the east coast in the 1950's. Surveys for HWA began in Georgia in According to the Georgia Forestry Commission, the initial report found pest damage in northeastern Rabun County as it spread from South and North Carolina into the Peach State. By 2005, damage was occurring in Habersham, Towns, Union, and White counties as well. Other states have reported annual spread of HWA at about 15 miles per year, but we think it is moving faster in Georgia. Disjunct populations have been found in Atlanta likely the HWA was carried in on a hiker s clothing. Several species of Asian predator beetles are being released. Biological solutions decrease the widespread use of chemicals, which can often kill more species than the targeted pest. According to Mark Dalusky at UGA: 2011 was a pretty good year for the bio-control project. We now have predator release sites that have been on the ground for over four years with confirmed establishment of Lariocobius nigrinus. While the hemlocks at most of our predator release sites may not look that great, the tree mortality is not significant. On some release sites the trees actually look good, in part because of the excellent growing conditions for hemlocks in both 2010 and Beetles have been released at 14 different sites, while HWA infestation has been confirmed in 19 Georgia counties and reported in several more Hemlocks are a keystone species and provide food and habitat for about 120 vertebrate species and more than 90 different birds. Both the needles and the bark have been used extensively in herbal medicine to treat kidney ailments, rheumatism, colds, fevers, diarrhea, scurvy even bleeding wounds. Once HWA is under control, our trees can be used as a seed source for re-establishing this species in the wild. Interpretive Signs: Conifers as Pollinator Hosts The Flower Garden collections policy is based on pollinators and pollination, with an emphasis on conservation of native pollinators. Pollinators are imperiled globally, and 59 species of butterflies are listed as endangered under the United States Endangered Species Act (many more are considered threatened or rare). Nine species of federally listed butterflies are found in Georgia, including the vulnerable Hess e l s h a i r s t r e a k, M i t o u r a (Callophrys) hesseli. Hessel s Hairstreak is completely dependent upon Chamaecyparis thyoides, Atlantic whitecedar, as their exclusive host plant. Males are territorial on whitecedar and females lay eggs on terminal shoots. Two broods are produced each year and the resulting caterpillars feed exclusively on the tip branches. By September, mature larvae move into soil and debris and overwinter as pupae. Taxodium distichum Peve Minaret Many conifers serve as host plants for butterflies, including Juniperus virginiana, Eastern redcedar, and the subspecies J. virginiana var. silicicola, Southern redcedar. These native conifers are hosts of the juniper Hairstreak, Mitoura (Callophrys) gryneus, which also use several other species of juniper, arborvitae, and incense cedar. If every butterfly gardener begins to plant conifers Taxodium distichum Falling Waters

9 Page 9 Southeastern Conifer June 2013 Seed Collection: Tsuga caroliniana The final project covered by our ACS Reference Garden grant involves UGA students, along with SBG Horticulture and Conservation staff. In conjunction with the Georgia Plant Conservation Alliance, SBG is leading protection efforts of Carolina hemlocks, Tsuga caroliniana, at Tallulah Gorge. Cones were collected from the only seven trees in Georgia with the assistance of University of Georgia student members of the climbing club. Growing along the ravine edge, where brittle soils are easily dislodged, only three trees in this population are cone-bearing. Previously germinated seedlings, grown at our Mimsie Lanier Center for Native Plant Studies, were planted back at the Gorge on the North Rim where volunteer stewards keep a close eye on them. We are also establishing a safeguarded collection of Carolina hemlock here in Athens, as this species is also attacked by HWA. A Visit to the Cemetery in Lynchburg,VA From the Editor s Photo Collection. Cryptomeria japonica Araucaria angustifolia Young Parana pines grown from seed Collection expansions, interpretive signs, seed collection We were able to complete so many projects thanks to the American Conifer Society Southeast Region Reference Garden Grant Program. Thank you all for what you do! And special thanks to John and Becky Quackenbush, who contributed additional funding to allow us to meet our goals. Come for a visit soon! Jeannette Coplin Director of Horticulture and Grounds State Botanical Garden of Georgia 2450 Milledge Ave Athens, GA jwcoplin@uga.edu garden@uga.edu Above: Cunninghamia lanceolata Below: Abies concolor

10 Page 10 Southeastern Conifer April 2013 Conifers in the Boxerwood Nature Center and Woodland Garden in Lexington, VA By Faith Vosburgh, VA History Boxerwood Nature Center and Woodland Garden in Lexington, Virginia, is a unique horticultural treasure with over 7,000 trees and shrubs, the vision of one man, Dr. Robert Munger ( ). In 1952, Dr. Munger, a family physician, and his wife Elizabeth Evans Munger built their home in the farmland that became Boxerwood and raised their three children there. Initially, Dr. Munger s interest in plants was mainly directed to landscaping his new home, designed and built on the principles of Frank Lloyd Wright s Usonian houses and very modern for its time. That home now serves as Boxerwood s Nature Center and administrative offices. In 1996, Karen Bailey and Hunter Mohring purchased a portion of the Munger land and began exploring ways to save and nurture the garden and to develop its full potential as a community resource. The garden opened to the public in April In 2000, the non-profit Boxerwood Education Association was formed whose mission is to educate and inspire people of all ages to become responsible stewards of the earth. The BEA consists of two divisions: one oversees the garden and the other is the education program that now provides experiential environmental education both on site and in the community to Rockbridge County elementary and middle school students. The Plants Initially, Dr. Munger s interest lay in five different genera: rhododendrons and azaleas, dogwoods, crabapples, Japanese Maples, and dwarf conifers, but quickly expanded to include all kinds of unusual plants. The Japanese Maple collection especially is superb, with over 120 named cultivars. There is a particularly beautiful specimen of Himalayan Pine ( Pinus wallichiana Zebrina ), 40 tall with beautiful yellow-striped needles. Michael Dirr calls this cultivar perhaps as striking and interesting a cultivar as one could hope to see among the pines. The plant bug quickly took its hold upon the Dr. and soon, many plants began appearing at Boxerwood. It is amazing to think in those days before instant communication and the internet where one can order a plant from the opposite end of the country with a click of a mouse and it will arrive a few days later, the efforts Dr. Munger must have taken to amass such a collection of plants. When Dr. Munger retired in 1977, he became his own full-time gardener with additional help from arborist Karen Bailey in Karen KB Bailey continued to work at Boxerwood until Dr. Munger s death in 1988.

11 Page 11 Southeastern Conifer June 2013 A very large Japanese Plum Yew (Cephalotaxus harringtonia Prostrata ) spills over the main path leading into the garden. Next to it sits a towering 50 Oriental Spruce (Picea orientalis Skylands ) with beautiful fresh yellow-tipped needles in the spring and early summer. The Chamaecyparis genus was also a favorite of Dr. Munger s and there are several different species scattered throughout the garden. A particularly beautiful Hinoki Falsecypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa Nana Gracilis ) is situated on Boxerwood s main path not far from the previously mentioned conifers. A magnificent Blue Atlas Cedar (Cedrus atlantica Glauca ) welcomes one to Boxerwood at the entrance to the garden and further down the driveway there is a lovely Persian Ironwood (Parrotia persica) that stands about 30 tall. These plants are just a very small sampling of the wonders at Boxerwood. Picea orientalis - Oriental Spruce Boxerwood Nature Center and Woodland Garden 963 Ross Rd Lexington, VA Chamaecyparis orientalis Hinoki Cypress Boxerwood Garden is free and open to the public seven days a week from dawn until dusk. The lodge hours vary according to the season, and is not open on the week-ends. Boxerwood holds several festivals during the year: a music festival, Boxerwoodstock, to be held this year on Saturday, July 17, a Fall Family Festival on September 21, and several Friday evening Music in the Garden events. Cunninghamia lanceolata China Fir

12 Page 12 Southeastern Conifer June Conifer Talk From Tennessee By Andy Pulte, TN Over the last couple of years I have attended the South Eastern Regional Conifer Conference in Athens, Georgia, and last year s meeting in Asheville, North Carolina. These have been great opportunities to catch up with old friends and meet new ones. Non-gardening friends are always surprised to learn there is such a thing as a conifer conference. In fact the Southeast has become a hotbed of activity and research for those who grow and love conifers. Below is an excerpt from an article I ve used to help those new to the conifer world get acclimated. I hope you will share it with those new to the wonderful world of conifers. I have also included our recommendations from The University of Tennessee Gardens on standout conifers for our region. Collectors Garden People collect all kinds of things. I know people with boxes of beanbag animals with the tags still attached. They tell me that someday the market for those will rebound. I also know many gardeners who have gotten passionate about collecting conifers. One of the main reasons conifers are fun to collect is because they come in all shapes and sizes and they remain in color year round. They range from hundreds of feet to just a few inches high and wide. Many can live for centuries, and you can find unique plants that grow in any region of the country. Additionally, there are many like-minded gardeners around who enjoy conifers. Joining a group like the American Conifer Society ( can help get you connected. Members receive four issues of the Conifer Quarterly, an excellent publication that includes information on growing, finding, and caring for conifers, and in the Southeast our bimonthly newsletter Southeastern Conifer. Conifer Care Choosing quality plants from reputable sources, planting them correctly and looking after them for the first few years are vital to successful conifer establishment. In the Southeast, for most conifers fall and winter planting are ideal. When planting, make sure not to place conifers below the original soil line. Like many woody trees and shrubs they should be planted at or slightly above the original grade. Newly planted conifers initially need careful watering. Once they are established they usually need little supplemental irrigation. Most conifers thrive in well-drained soils with average fertility. Inside Out Gardening Often a passion for conifers begins during the colder months of the year. When it s cold outside and not quite right for gardening, take time to look at the skeleton of your garden. Without annuals showing off, and when there are no leaves on the trees, you can easily see the bones and backdrops that make up your garden. Good bones make a good garden. An easy way to improve this bone structure is by adding conifers. Winter like no other season allows conifers and other evergreens to take center stage. When the weather is cold, you spend most of your time looking at your garden from the inside out. Ponder how you could improve your view with a little evergreen magic.