Publications - AHS TAG - Nov/Dec

The article "The Perfect Pathway" by Barbara Blossom Ashmun (September/October) was an "almost-perfect" discussion, but I must take exception to the statement that "in a woodland garden, paths covered with shredded bark, wood chips or pine needles are most in keeping with the informal setting."

I would argue that that is true only if one is talking about woodland-styled gardens, not gardens in a woodland setting. What is most in keeping with and practical for a garden in a woodland are bare paths that emulate trails through a forest. I have almost 1,000 linear feet of pathway meandering through my three-quarter-acre woodland; if I were to cover the paths with shredded bark, I would need some 26 cubic yards replenished every few years.

For pathways around the house, however, I do use a variety of paving materials: irregular flagstones for the paths to the front doors, rectangular flagstones for the path leading from the patio down into the back woods, and round concrete steppingstones to connect the front lawn with the back lawn. At one time the pavers for this last pathway were made of rounds cut from an oak tree that had to be felled.

Incidentally, I thoroughly enjoy Colston Burrell's articles, including "Falling for Toad Lilies" (September/October). I had the pleasure of meeting him during a North American Rock Gardening Society annual meeting in Minneapolis and visiting his garden when he lived there. He is a truly knowledgeable plantsman.

I so enjoyed "Spectacular Summer Bulbs" by John E. Bryan in the July/August issue. I would like to mention a bulb that was not covered in the article-naked lady lily (Amaryllis belladona). This is the only bulb in my Zone 9 garden that is glorious during the triple-digit summer months. The funnel-shaped flowers of this amaryllis relative, borne before the leaves emerge, are a wonderful soft pink.

I will be adding some of your recommendations to my garden this fall! Thank you for the ideas.

What's YOUR Favorite Cutting Flower?

If you grow flowers, you probably have snipped a few now and then to bring indoors. Sometimes plants that you don't think of as cut flowers make beautiful indoor arrangements. The delicate green-yellow flower heads of dill, for example, provide a tall, airy accent to summer bouquets. Stems of boldly patterned coleus leaves can jazz up any arrangement; peony leaves can substitute for the usual filler fern; and humble spikes of hosta flowers pair nicely with a bouquet of roses.

We want to know your favorite flowers for cutting. Do you grow them in a separate bed in the garden, or do you mix your cutting flowers with your bedding plants? Write or e-mail us to let us know your favorite or most unusual plants for cutting. We'd also like to learn your tips for creating exciting fresh arrangements with plants from your garden. We'll share the best ideas with the rest of our readers in an upcoming article on cutting gardens.

Outsmarted by Violets

A SmartGarden™ tip that was included with the article on native violets in our March/April issue recommended removing faded violet flowers to control unwanted reseeding. Several members of the American Violet Society, including Kim Blaxland, who authored the article on native violets, pointed out that this technique is ineffective for most violets because of their slightly unorthodox reproductive practices.

The showy flowers of most Viola spp. actually produce very few seed pods; most viable seeds are produced from unobtrusive flowers that develop later in the summer. These flowers-termed cleistogamous because they rarely open and are thus usually self-pollinated-lurk under the foliage near ground level. The best way to reduce unwanted reseeding is to dig and remove plants in spring or early summer before the seeds are released.

A few violets, including the bird's-foot violet (V. pedata)-produce seeds from their showy flowers in the standard way. These flowers, termed chasmogamous, open to expose the reproductive organs to cross pollination.