March/April 2000

An Inside Look

I had the right-sized hands, free time after school, and an abundant crop of violets growing on vacant lots near my childhood home in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. 

At 11 my hands were small enough to gently arrange miniature bunches of violets in discarded glass pimento jars. I sold all I could pick at the heady sum of five cents a bunch, and each person who bought a tiny bouquet had a different story about where and when the color and fragrance of violets first enthralled them. 

Spring forward 30 years to when uninvited violets invaded the perfect green lawn that was then a gardener's badge of honor. To remove them without using herbicides, I applied lime and gypsum to reduce the acidity and the water-holding capacity of the soil. 

By understanding the selectivity of pH, I knew it was possible to grow desired forms of violets successfully in a soil with a pH range between 5 and 6, yet eliminate unwanted ones in a lawn by making sure the soil there is maintained at or near 7. 

This is one example of what we at AHS are calling SmartGarden(tm) practices. Along with understanding plants' needs for light and water, and knowing the USDA Hardiness and AHS Heat zones they will thrive in, we need to take advantage of centuries of research and experience to be smart about how to site, select, and design our gardens. 

As part of the SmartGarden(tm) program, the Society is in the process of coding plants with descriptive icons that will guide gardeners in selecting the right plants for their gardens. Coded plants will be released on the AHS Web site as they become available. 

In this issue, Kim Blaxland tells us about the best North American violets for naturalistic gardens, where-as we already know-most will thrive in soils with a pH of 5 to 6. C. Colston Burrell follows up his article on fall-blooming anemones with one on spring-flowering selections. And David Salman describes cold-hardy native cacti, which do best in slightly alkaline soils. In addition, Susan Davis Price chronicles the life of Louise Beebe Wilder and explains why Wilder's books are an important part of our gardening heritage. Our Millennium Focus section reports on how improved educational programs and a better understanding of how to accommodate children's needs in home gardens are helping children get an early start on environmentally responsible gardening practices. 

My hands are now too large to pick the violets and medication has dulled my sense of smell, but I still have a vivid memory of the aroma. Purple went on to become my favorite color and my granddaughters-Misses Pink, Peach, Emerald, and Ruby-call me Dr. Purple. Ever in green-and purple,

H. Marc Cathey AHS President Emeritus