Southeastern Conifer American Conifer Society Southeastern Region Volume 15. August 2013 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 Page 1 SE Reference Gardens Page 2 The Gardens at the SE Region Meeting, Memphis, TN Page 3 The UT Garden - Jackson Page 4 By Jason Reeves, TN International Award for Cox Arboretum, GA Page 5 Hemlocks in my Garden By Maud Henne, VA Page 6 Cryptomeria jap. Elegans Nana By Bradley Roberts, GA Page 7 The Compact Beauty of Cones By Steve Carroll, VA Page 8, 9 Top Conifer Picks By SE Reference Gardens Page 10 Headline Photos by Tom Cox, GA Events 2013 ACS National Meeting Mt Kisko, NY August 8-10. 2013 ACS SE Region Meeting Memphis, TN October 11 and 12, 2013 From the ACS SE President Summer Greetings Our regional elections are over so I d like to say how much I enjoyed serving as your president for the past two years and I look forward to serving now as your Vice President. Congratulations to our new SE Officers: President John Ruter, GA and Treasurer/Secretary Jeff & Jennifer Harvey, TN. Thanks to Tom Neff, GA for serving as our Vice President for the past two years and for continuing his term as our Regional Director through 2014. Tom has provided great guidance in understanding and refining our society s constitution and bylaws, not only at the regional level but the national level as well. A big, big THANK YOU to John Quackenbush, GA who has served as our Treasurer/ Secretary for the past 9 years! Thanks to John for all he has done in keeping great records of our membership, conferences, and fiscal activities. Thanks to John our treasury is in fine order. I m looking forward to attending the National ACS meeting in Mt. Kisco, NY on August 8 th and 9 th and I hope to see many from our region there. We are just two months away from our regional annual meeting in Memphis this year on October 11 th and 12 th and I hope you are planning to attend. Conference registration materials have been mailed to all members, with information available on our national website as well at: http://www.conifersociety.org/ Conifers with Southern Charm will be a fun and educational meeting with noted horticulturist and humorist Carol Reese as our keynote speaker. This conference will treat you to some truly special and beautiful private gardens showcasing the beauty of conifers in the Southern landscape. See list and short descriptions on page 3. As mentioned in our June edition, our conference will take place at the Dixon Gallery and Gardens, only 2 miles from the Doubletree Hotel. To get the group rate of $89 plus 15.95% tax: $103.20 per night, please make your reservation before September 20, 2013. Rain, rain, rain! That is what we have had oodles of in Tennessee this summer. In July we hit our annual rainfall for the year 47 inches!! So far I have seen all conifers in my area fare just fine but many of our annuals like petunia, calibrachoa, and vinca have not done so well dying from overwatering leading to root rot. I wish we could share our over-abundance of water with other regions of the country. Hope to see you soon Sue Susan L. Hamilton, Ed.D. Associate Professor University of TN Garden Director Knoxville, TN E-mail: sueham@utk.edu
Page 2 Southeastern Conifer August 2013 The SE Region Meeting, Memphis, TN The Doubletree Hotel is offering a group rate for the nights of October 11 and 12 at $89 plus 15.95 % tax making it a total of $103,20 per night. It is recommended to make reservations now to get this special rate which will be offered only until September 20, 2013. To learn more about the hotel and to make a reservation, go to http://doubletree3.hilton.com or call 901-767-6666. The hotel is located at 5069 Sanderlin Ave, Memphis, TN 38117. Editor s Note The magazine Fine Gardening published as cover story an article by Sue Hamilton Designing with Conifers in the August 2013 issue. You do not want to miss that. 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 American Conifer Society SE Region www.conifersociety.org www.southeasternconifers.com SE President: Dr. John Ruter, - ruter@uga.edu SE Vice President: Dr. Sue Hamilton, -sueham@utk.edu SE Treasurer: J.&J.Harvey, jennifer.harvey@vanderbilt.edu Regional Dir. ACS Board: Tom Neff,-tsneff2003@yahoo.com Ref. Gardens: B.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 Memphis Botanic Garden
Page 3 Southeastern Conifer August 2013 SE Region Meeting 2013 In Memphis, TN October 11 and 12, 2013 The Places We Will Visit By Kennon Hampton, TN Dixon Gallery and Gardens is a fine art museum and public garden that features a 17-acre campus of formal gardens, woodland tracts, and a large cutting garden. Its fine art museum includes a permanent collection of over 2,000 objects, focusing upon French and American impressionist paintings and German and English porcelain. The Dixon is serving as our host for this regional meeting. www.dixon.org Memphis Botanic Gardens Its 96- acre property includes 23 specialty gardens, among which are its conifer collection of plants from all over the world, high-lighted by a mature Weeping Blue Atlas Cedar - Cedrus atlantica Glauca Pendula. The Japanese Garden of Tranquility was created during the 1960s and updated in 1989 by noted Japanese garden designers. Its red bridge is one of the most photographed sites in Memphis. www.memphisbotanicgarden,com Two Private Gardens in Memphis These are the only two gardens that are included in Gardens: Private and Personal, the book recently published by the Garden Club of America and Abrams. One is a three-acre park-like oasis that includes a woodland tract with winding paths and a picturesque creek. The countless mature deciduous trees are spectacular in October. The other is an intown garden with extensive plantings of conifers that complement the home s Oriental-style architecture. Brussel s Bonsai Nursery Has over 175,000 SF of greenhouses devoted to bonsai and has been a destination for serious hobbyists for over 30 years. While most of its trees are mailed to enthusiasts, the nursery includes an extensive collection of ancient miniature trees which will be at the peak of their fall color as well as countless examples of conifers of many varieties. www.brusselsbonsai.com/ourstory.cfm Two Private Gardens in Jackson These adjoining estates include two spacious Louisiana-style plantation homes and three antique log structures that have been reassembled on the grounds for guest quarters and garden storage. Extraordinary stonework and fabulous water features complement lavish plantings. University of Tennessee Research and Education Center in Jackson It was established in 1907 and focuses upon research on ornamentals as well as agronomic and horticultural crops. Visiting its extensive plantings of conifers being tested for suitability for use in the South will be a highlight of the tour. Also, a highlight will be the annual pumpkin display that attracts thousands of visitors each year. Carol Reese is our Friday evening speaker. She is the University of Tennessee s Ornamental Horticulture Specialist for West Tennessee. She writes a weekly gardening column for the Jackson Sun and is a frequent contributor to numerous gardening magazines including Fine Gardening and Horticulture. Her presentations take her all over the nation, and you will want to invite her to speak in your hometown after hearing her words of wisdom about horticulture delivered in her famous humorous manner.
Page 4 Southeastern Conifer August 2013 University of Tennessee Gardens -Jackson By Carol Reese and Jason Reeves, TN The University of Tennessee Gardens has recently been designated the official botanical garden of the state of Tennessee. It consists of two well established sites, one on the Knoxville campus and the other in Jackson at the West Tennessee Research and Education Center. A third site in Crossville is also being developed. The Jackson site is curated by Jason Reeves, Research Ornamental Horticulturalist, with support from colleague Carol Reese, Extension Area Specialist in Ornamental Horticulture. In 2006, after removing a long row of diseased Leyland cypress, Jason and Carol designed a new area of the garden using around 30 conifers they had collected. The emphasis was on selections that should perform well in the heat and humidity of west TN and that would tolerate the sunny hot area along the back side of the asphalt parking lot. In 2007, Jason attended his first American Conifer Society meeting with members Sue Hamilton and Andy Pulte in Seattle, where they visited several wonderful conifer collections. After the conference, they joined Faye Beck and traveled to Portland where they visited more collections, including those at Iseli, Porterhowse, Buchholz & Buchholz Nursery and Stanley and Sons. Jason was especially awe-struck by a fine specimen of Platycladus orientalis Franky Boy' in Iseli s display garden. While at Buchholz, Eric Bizon donated a little Franky Boy for each UT Garden site. The one in Jackson is now a fine 6 tall specimen. More conifers were added over the years, and not just in the original designated conifer bed. In 2011, with a grant made available from the Southeastern Regional Society, over 100 conifers were labeled using 3 X 5 black anodized aluminum with the name etched into the nameplate. The addition of the labels improved the overall appearance and quality of the garden. An easily read, easily found label makes a more enjoyable and educational experience for all visitors. The conifer collection took another great leap in December 2012 with the addition of around 40 new plants. Over 75% of the conifer collection can be found in and around the north side of the main parking lot. The remaining are scattered through the grounds in mixed borders or planted as specimens in the lawn. Juniperus chinensis Goldlace and Juniperus chinensis Angelica Blue UT Gardens in Jackson also include a kitchen garden, a low-maintenance fruit demonstration orchard, annual and perennial displays, an All-American Selection display garden, a daylily and iris collection, and a witchhazel (Hamamelis) and redbud (Cercis) collection. Visitors can also enjoy an arboretum, a turf wheel and turf variety trials, compost display, plant screen demonstration, magnolia collection, and a pitcher plant peat bog. The dry bed (west Tennessee s version of a rock garden) consists of several different genera of xerophytes such as dasylirion, yucca and hardy agave. The gardens are located around the office building area. Visitors are welcomed to visit during daylight hours all year long. For more information and directions check us out at : http://west.tennessee.edu/ and on Facebook
Page 5 Southeastern Conifer August 2013 The Cox Arboretum, GA and the ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program By Maud Henne,VA Based on a Press Release by ArbNet and the Morton Arboretum,IL Even though I have been dealing with trees and especially with conifers for many years as a hobby enthusiast- I never did hear about the ArbNet Accreditation Program until now. The reason: the fact that the Cox Arboretum in Canton, GA was awarded the Level II Accreditation. Also, I have been reading about the Dixon Gallery and Gardens in Memphis, TN, where this year s SE meeting will take place, and they point out on their website, that they are now certified as Level IV arboretum, having started out as Level II in 2006. The ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program is sponsored and coordinated by the Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Illinois, in cooperation with the American Public Gardens Association and Botanic Gardens Conservation International. This international initiative offers four levels of accreditation, recognizing arboreta of various degrees of development, capacity and professionalism. Accreditation is based on self-assessment and documentation of an arboretum s level of achievement of accreditation standards. Standards include planning, governance, labeling, species, staff and volunteer support, public access, programming and tree science, planting and conservation. The various levels have to do with the number of different species of trees in an arboretum, if I understand it correctly. By achieving particular standards of professional practices deemed important for arboreta and botanic gardens, Cox Arboretum is now recognized as an accredited arboretum in the Morton Register of Arboreta. Quite an accomplishment for Evelyn and Tom Cox who started the arboretum in 1990 as a private enterprise which the arboretum still is. The Cox Arboretum consists of 13 acres in the middle of an old-growth southern deciduous hardwood forest. It contains many large oaks, hickory, sweetgum and poplar trees, some of which are more than 100 years old. Numbering over 4,000 living specimens, the plantings display one of the largest private collections of temporate flora in the United States A major focus today is conifers, maples, and magnolia, as well as dwarf cultivars that may have commercial appeal. The arboretum is recognized as containing one of the most complete collections of species conifers in the United States. Photo Above: View of part of the Cox Arboretum in summer. Photo Left: Pinus virginiana in spring, Cox Arboretum
Page 6 Southeastern Conifer August 2013 Hemlocks In My Garden By Maud Henne, VA According to the list I keep on my computer, I have almost 30 cultivars of Tsuga canadensis, most of them being real dwarf. The oldest plants are Pendula, Kingsville and Jeddeloh planted by my late husband Reinhard Henne in 1987. In 1988 he also planted Bennett s Weeping, Stewarts Pygmy and Everitt Golden. The latter did not perform well in my garden. I tried one again in 1997. It also did not last either. I added quite a few tsugas in the 1990s. My newest is from 2012: Abbots Pygmy. It is still in a pot. Some of my cultivars have white in their foliage. Most of them need sun to develop white foliage: Gentsch White and Albospica. An exception is Frosty which will make white tips in shade.. My oddball among conifers is Girard Whip which I acquired in 1993. I keep it in a planter. After 20 years it measures 48 x 40 if staked. Upper left: Gentsch White Center left: Jeddeloh Below left : Pendula Right: Abbott s Pygmy Below right: Albospica Tsuga canadensis Girard Whip
Page 7 Southeastern Conifer August 2013 One of the beauties of landscaping with conifers is the addition of texture they place in our gardens. From weeping branches to tight compact mounds, our cone bearing friends offer us a wide variety to choose from. One of my favorite plants to use for texture in the landscape is Cryptomeria japonica Elegans Nana. Cryptomeria japonica Elegans Nana By Bradley Roberts, GA Elegans Nana is a compact mounding shrub with somewhat of a drooping habit that gives it a very distinctive texture. It has attractive blue-green foliage that slightly bronzes to add lovely winter interest to your garden. Having an interesting almost spreading form makes this Crypto an excellent choice as a filler shrub. Elegans Nana will take full sun to part shade and expresses roughly a 3 by 3 habit at maturity. (Maud Henne who lives in Central Virginia points out that her Elegans Nana which was planted in 1987, now measures 4 in height and 8 in width all the way around.) Its hardiness zone is 6a-8a. I have several of them planted in heavy clay soil, and they haven t missed a beat. Elegans Nana is relatively slow growing, making it a great container plant. But I have also used it in mass plantings, hedges, and I love to accent a landscape with this fabulous conifer. Another attribute is its low maintenance. It requires very little pruning, just the removal of occasional die back. This evergreen is also deer proof with no negative attributes. I love this little guy and highly recommend it for your conifer collection or garden. Bradley Roberts is Director of Horticulture Lockerly Arboretum Milledgeville, GA bradleyroberts@lockerly.org
Page 8 Southeastern Conifer August 2013 The Compact Beauty of Cones By Steve Carroll, VA There are so many reasons to grow conifers for their growth form and branch structure, their texture and color, their evergreen foliage and year-round interest, and for the many ways in which they contrast with each other and with other woody and herbaceous plants. I don t know anyone who grows conifers specifically for their cones, but there is surprising beauty and interest to be found here. Pollen cones are ephemeral, though often quite colorful. A white pine at the height of pollen season can be dazzling, resembling a tree decorated for the holiday season. And should you accidentally brush against a lowlying branch, you are quickly reminded how easily its pollen rides the wind, finding its way to our cars, furniture, swimming pools, and even occasionally a female cone before disappearing for the season. Seed cones stick around, varying dramatically among species in size, shape, color, texture, and more. Perhaps we should pay more attention to these structures. A pine loaded with mature, open seed cones assumes a rugged look, as if boasting it has produced a crop of seeds and survived to tell about it. In contrast, fire-adapted pines keep their cones wrapped up tight in anticipation of the next burn. These days recent Colorado fires notwithstanding those fires may be few and far between. 0 Pinus - Pine male strobili (pollen cone) Photo: Lance and Erin Taxodium distichum Bald Cypress female strobili (seed cones) Photo: Lorianne DiSabato Abies fraseri Fraser fir female strobili (seed cone) Photo: Teresa Sikora Hemlock, Arizona cypress, cryptomeria, incense cedar, Dawn redwood and many others have smaller tidier cones that hang on and below the branches. These add texture and color without stealing the show. They take the stage, but leave the main act to the foliage. Spruce cones tend to be larger and more assertive in the way they hang from branches, less willing to yield the spotlight. Woody cones symbolize conifer reproduction to the general public. But gardeners and others are often surprised by the group s fleshy cones, such as those of bald cypress, which resemble soccer balls, or the lunarlander shaped cones of Platycladus. Juniper s tight, blue-black berries are more familiar. Homeowners need not distill gin to appreciate this group, and mockingbirds, waxwings, and other birds are happy to have them as a food source. Less common trees such as Torreya and Cephalotaxus show off plumshaped fleshy cones that complement their lustrous foliage. And then there is ginkgo, whose aromatic, hanging cones and distinctive leaves occupy a unique place within the plant kingdom. Steven B. Carroll is Director of Public Programs of the State Arboretum of Virginia/Blandy Experimental Farm in Boyce, VA e:mail: scarroll@virginia.edu
Page 9 Southeastern Conifer August 2013 The Compact Beauty of Cones Continued Of all the fleshy cones, it may be the shockingly red arils of yews or the fleshy cones of Podocarpus that are most unexpected. These liven up our yards and mature in the fall to drop their single seed that is, if they aren t carried off first by birds or deer. Though not as dramatic or colorful as yews or podocarps, I find the cones of firs and true cedars most attractive of all. These compact cones, often resin covered, perch upright on the branch. They are deciduous in that they lose their cone scales one or several at a time, eventually peeling their way back to what looks like an upright fencer s foil raised in victory. Fir cones may begin life dressed in burgundy-red or even purple-black. The barrel-shaped, ornamented cones of the true cedars sit up, held tightly against the branch until breaking apart in their second or third year. In Richard Bitner s beautifully illustrated, Conifers for Gardens: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, four of the book s first five photos, including the frontispiece, showcase cones! Surely this is a testament to the beauty of these ancient reproductive structures. In the end, we aren t likely to select conifers based on their cones. But the more we pay attention to these structures, the more they may sway us as we stand before two specimens, unsure which one to bring home. Cedrus deodara Deodar Cedar Photo: Maud Henne Taxus baccata Yew Photo: Didier Descouens Larix decidua Larch Photo: Leila 82
Page 10 Southeastern Conifer August 2013 Top Conifers Picks By SE Reference Gardens In 2011 in connection with the SE Region meeting in Athens, GA, a survey was conducted to find the top conifer picks from SE Reference Gardens. They were asked to name their favorites. Georgia Lockerly Arboretum, Milledgeville Cryptomeria japonica Elegans Nana Juniperus virginiana var. silicicola Brodie Platycladus orientalis Aurea Nana Thuja occidentalis Rheingold Smith Gilbert Garden, Kennesaw Cedrus deodara Gold Cone Cham. obtusa Verdon Platycladus orientalis Morgan State Botanical Garden, Athens Jun. virginiana Grey Owl Pinus virginiana Wate s Golden Platycladus orientalis Morgan North Carolina J.C.Raulston Arboretum, Raleigh Abies firma Calocedrus macrolepis var. formosana Cryptomeria japonica Rein s Dense Jade Pinus wallichiana Zebrina Podocarpus macrophyllus Royal Flush Taxodium distichum var. imbricatum Prairie Sentinel South Carolina S.C. Botanical Garden, Clemson Platycladus orientalis Filiformis Pendula Sequoia sempervirens Tsuga diversifolia Tennessee East TN State University Arboretum, Johnson City Pseudolarix kaempferi Sciadopitys verticillata Thujopsis dolobrata University of TN Gardens, Jackson Cryptomeria japonica Globosa Nana Platycladus orientalis Franky Boy Thuja orientalis Morgan University of TN Gardens, Knoxville Cham. nootkatensis Glauca Pendula Cham. obtusa Spirited Juniperus deppeana McFetter s Blue Pinus densiflora Aurea Platycladus orientalis Franky Boy Virginia Al Gardner Memorial Conifer Garden at J.Sargeant Reynolds Comm.College, Goochland Cham. obtusa Loughead Pinus parviflora Tanima-no-yuki State Arboretum of Virginia, Boyce Cupressus arizonica Pinus pungens Sciadopitys verticillata Some of the conifers mentioned turn up in several descriptions: Japanese Umbrella Pine - Sciadopitys verticillata, ( zones 5-8a), Platycladus orientalis Franky Boy, Thuja orientalis Morgan, (the latter 2 suited for zones 6 to 8a).