Southeastern Conifer

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Barrie Benson
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Southeastern Conifer American Conifer Society Southeastern Region Volume 19 February 2014 Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee,

GA Page 3 The Mike and Judy Garner Conifer Garden By The Garners, TN Pages 4, 5 Reference Garden 2014 Annual Summary Report By Beth Jimenez, NC and Amelia Lane, NC Page 6 Headline and Garner Garden

Here in Athens, GA we had our coldest temperatures since 1996 when we went down to 6F two weeks ago. It is a balmy 13F this morning as I write this message. Not much to report this time around.

1 Southeastern Conifer American Conifer Society Southeastern Region Volume 19 February 2014 Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia Inside This Issue From the SE President By John Ruter, GA Page 1 SE Reference Gardens And Official Data Page 2 Juniperus virginiana Hancocks Weeping By Bradley Roberts. GA Page 3 The Mike and Judy Garner Conifer Garden By The Garners, TN Pages 4, 5 Reference Garden 2014 Annual Summary Report By Beth Jimenez, NC and Amelia Lane, NC Page 6 Headline and Garner Garden Photos : Maud Henne, VA Events 2014 ACS National Meeting June 12-14, 2014 Atlanta, GA From the ACS SE President It appears that winter has set in throughout most of the country. Here in Athens, GA we had our coldest temperatures since 1996 when we went down to 6F two weeks ago. It is a balmy 13F this morning as I write this message. Not much to report this time around. I have been busy during the past couple of weeks planning our National Meeting to be held in Atlanta, GA next summer. I did take a couple of days to attend the Georgia Green Industry Association WinterGreen show in Duluth this week and ran into Barbie Colvin and some other conifer enthusiasts while there. Our own Jody Karlin is getting excited about showing off his garden later this summer. If you want to catch a sneak peek at what Jody is doing become his friend on Facebook. He has been posting quite a few conifer and Japanese maple pictures lately. In the world of conifer conservation there is good news Botanical Gardens Conservation International (BCGI) has been focusing on a global assessment of world s conifers in I am happy to report that they have found that 81% of the globally threatened conifers of the world are present in ex situ collections. According to the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation, their goal is to have more than 75% threatened plants in ex situ collections by 2020, so this goal has been met for conifers! Lastly, I noted on NPR on January 19 of this year a new article entitled Cooking with Conifers: An evergreen trick that is really hip. Here is the web link: w w w. n p r. o r g / b l o g s / thesalt/2014/01/19/ / cooking-with-conifers-yes-it-s-athing. Included is a recipe for making your own pine or spruce vinegar. I am off shortly for the national board meeting in Tampa, FL. I hope to visit a few conifer enthusiasts along the way and always enjoy seeing different genera such a Nageia, Callitris, Podocarpus, and other unusual conifers in the Sunshine State. John Ruter University of Georgia, Dep. of Horticulture 327 Hoke Smith Bldg, Athens, GA Phone: ruter@uga.edu

2 Page 2 Southeastern Conifer February 2014 Reminder From the Editor In order to continue this newsletter I need material and suggestions from the conifer gardeners, not only the professionals. If this does not improve I will give up spending my time and creative juices for this publication and return to my art work. Please, contribute with questions, suggestions, text and photos about your experiences with your own garden, visits of other gardens or nurseries and events, anything that catches your eye and attention Maud Henne, wollemi27@gmail.com A Book Not to Miss in the SE: Landscaping with Conifers and Gingko in the Southeast By Tom Cox and John M. Ruter This guide includes essential information about what to buy, where to plant it and how to maintain it. This guide is a compilation of years of research and horticulture experience that will aid anyone, professionals and non-professionals, gardeners that have experience or are new to gardening with conifers. American Conifer Society SE Region SE President: Dr. John Ruter, - ruter@uga.edu SE Vice President: Dr. Sue Hamilton, -sueham@utk.edu SE Treasurer: J.&J.Harvey, jeff@dirtdawgnursery.com Regional Dir. ACS Board: Tom Neff,-tsneff2003@yahoo.com The 15 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. Ref. Gardens: Beth Jimenez beth6744@bellsouth.net, chair Amelia Lane amelia.lane@gmail.com, co-chair SE Webmaster: Ford, bford15@utk.edu SE Newsletter Editor: Maud Henne,-wollemi27@gmail.com SE Technical Advisor: Tom Cox, -coxarb@bellsouth.net

Page 3 Southeastern Conifer February 2014 Juniperus virginiana Hancock Weeping By Bradley Roberts, GA One of the many things I love about horticulture is plant identification, and upon researching

Considering that Hancock Weeping was introduced to the trade by Bob McCartney of Woodlanders Nursery in Aiken, South Carolina, I assumed they were the same plant.

3 Page 3 Southeastern Conifer February 2014 Juniperus virginiana Hancock Weeping By Bradley Roberts, GA One of the many things I love about horticulture is plant identification, and upon researching Juniperus virginiana Hancock Weeping I discovered a similar cultivar named Woodlanders Weeping. Considering that Hancock Weeping was introduced to the trade by Bob McCartney of Woodlanders Nursery in Aiken, South Carolina, I assumed they were the same plant. After further investigation, I discovered something quite different. A few years ago I purchased a variety of Juniperus virginiana from Dr. Sam Jones at Piccadilly Farms in Bishop, Georgia. Dr. Jones had it labeled Woodlanders Weeping, so I just thought it was the same as Hancock Weeping and I tagged it as such when I added it the conifer reference garden at Lockerly Arboretum. During an Arbor Day program at Lockerly, Flo Chaffin of Specialty Ornamentals in Watkinsville, Georgia brought to my attention that these cultivars may actually be two different plants. After Flo s suggestion I contacted Bob McCartney who stated We are not sure what Woodlanders Weeping is or who put that name on it. Years ago we sold a very good weeping red-cedar that I found in Oglethorpe County, Georgia and there may have been a specimen or two that were sold to arboretums or public gardens like Lockerly and maybe Mount Cuba in Delaware. According to Bob that strain has also been lost to cultivation, but definitely came from a different mother plant than Hancock Weeping. So to sum this up, there are many cultivars in the conifer trade that are quite similar, but are derived from varying origins. It is always best to ask growers questions and do some research on the varieties you would like to add to your collection. Happy gardening folks! Hancock Weeping is a pendulous form of the common Eastern Red-cedar. As stated previously, it was introduced by Woodlanders Nursery in the 1980 s from a tree that was found growing in Hancock County, Georgia. This plant was lost to cultivation, but was reintroduced by Bob McCartney from a magnificent specimen (originally from Woodlanders) at the J.C. Raulston Arboretum in Raleigh, North Carolina. This Juniper enjoys full sun, well-drained soils, is a Southeastern native, and thrives from zones 2 through 9.

Page 4 Southeastern Conifer February 2014 Garden Visits on the Way to the SE Region Meeting 2013 in Memphis, TN Mike and Judy Garner Conifer Garden, Paris, TN Text by Mike and Judy Garner, TN In the

The following summer, Mike began laying out the basic landscaping for the house, amending the heavy clay soil and digging through an underlying vein of sandstone running across the back portion of

Most of the base plant materials used were the hollies, yews, boxwoods and azaleas available at the local nurseries and big box garden centers along with several understory trees and passalong plants

4 Page 4 Southeastern Conifer February 2014 Garden Visits on the Way to the SE Region Meeting 2013 in Memphis, TN Mike and Judy Garner Conifer Garden, Paris, TN Text by Mike and Judy Garner, TN In the fall of 1993, Mike and Judy Garner cleared out an area on a sloping wooded lot of hickories and oaks and built their new home. The following summer, Mike began laying out the basic landscaping for the house, amending the heavy clay soil and digging through an underlying vein of sandstone running across the back portion of the property. Most of the base plant materials used were the hollies, yews, boxwoods and azaleas available at the local nurseries and big box garden centers along with several understory trees and passalong plants from gardening friends. Soon after, more trees were removed and understory plantings of viburnums, rhododendrons, dogwoods, oriental magnolias and deciduous hollies. Mike soon began a collection of Japanese maples that has grown to over 50 varieties that are spotted throughout the garden. In 2001 another portion of the property was cleared for a half-acre spring-fed pond providing more opportunity for planting several varieties of bald cypress. Another acre was purchased behind the original property making way for an arboretum - style planting of larger grower conifers and fruit trees and a vegetable garden. Visiting the gardens at each of the Southeast Conifer Society meetings and the national ACS meetings along with dwarf conifer gardens in several botanical gardens have given us more project ideas than we can ever live to complete. With each trip, new plant varieties are brought home, some of which are pushing the limits for this region, but tried nonetheless. Several dwarf specimens are planted in troughs and pots, which are scattered throughout the garden. While attending his first ACS meeting in Louisville, KY with gardening friend Jimmy Williams, Mike was bitten by the conifer bug. He found a number of large sandstones on his father s farm, had them moved to Paris and began a scree garden along the side of the drive. Thus began the collection of several dwarf conifers and pines. Some of them have since outgrown their space and been moved to another area of the garden to be replaced by new dwarf varieties.

Page 5 Southeastern Conifer February 2014 The newest conifer

just south of the pond on a sloping hill.

begun with dwarf conifers many of which were purchased while

We will always looking for the opportunity to find new

The texture, color and shape of conifers add interest to the

5 Page 5 Southeastern Conifer February 2014 The newest conifer bed has just be prepped and bordered with a low retaining wall just south of the pond on a sloping hill. More boulders were scattered throughout and plantings have begun with dwarf conifers many of which were purchased while attending ACS meetings. We will always looking for the opportunity to find new varieties and plants to add to the garden. The texture, color and shape of conifers add interest to the garden in all seasons, but especially the winter months when very little green exists in the garden conifers provide good cover for birds and other wildlife.

6 Page 6 Southeastern Conifer February 2014 Reference Garden 2013 Annual Summary Report for ACS Southeast Based on the Report by Beth Jimenez and Amelia Lane, both in NC At the end of each calendar year, the Reference Gardens in the SE Region are asked to complete a short questionnaire summarizing their conifer related activities for the year. This time, also ACS members who sponsor gardens were asked to report what their garden does which continues to meet the qualifications necessary to maintain the status as Reference Garden. It is expected that a sponsor visits his or her botanical garden once a while to see if the conifer collection looks healthy, the garden is well maintained, the conifer signage is on good order and if ACS brochures are displayed and available to visitors. Beth Jimenez is the coordinator of this program in the SE, having taken over from Barbie Colvin who now handles Reference Gardens nationwide. Beth is supported by Amelia Lane, NC as co-chair. The following questions were to be answered by the Reference Garden: 1. What conifer-related programs did you sponsor this year? 2. Do you know of any new ACS members due to your above mentioned activities? 3. Did you expand your conifer collection during 2013, upgrade signage or update conifer-related educational materials? 4. Has your garden received any publicity, donations or grants due to your designation as an ACS Reference Garden? 5. Do you have any suggestions or feedback for the Reference Garden Program? Among the responses to 5) two are sticking out: a) We think it would be beneficial to create a RG master database of all conifers in the collection and to purposely look to see what endangered species we have and do not have in collection in the SE region.this would make a meaningful report for plant conservation and would allow us to see where we have gaps in conifers in global plant conservation. We have a master list of globally endangered conifers that we compare our database to. b) One other suggestion would be for ACS to host programs at reference gardens which may not have a large concentration of American Conifer Society members. When we received our designation there were only about three ACS members in the surrounding 95 mile radius. Hosting programs in these areas could be a way to raise awareness and interest in the ACS. The coordination and promotion of the program by the participating garden and ACS would hopefully lead people in the local communities to become ACS members and/or attend these events/programs.

Southeastern Conifer

Southeastern Conifer American Conifer Society Southeastern Region Volume 17 Special Edition 2013 Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee,