September/October 2008 - Volume 87, Number 5

The following is a table of contents of the articles that appear in the September/October 2008 issue of The American Gardener.  Links have been established to each article.  However, many articles are only accessible to American Horticultural Society (AHS) members . When you click on these links, a challenge will appear for a username (ahs) and password that AHS members can use to view these articles. Non-members are encouraged to join AHS to be able to enjoy each of these articles and the many other benefits of AHS membership.

ASTERISKS (*) INDICATE PAGES VIEWABLE BY NON-MEMBERS.
Non-members can view the EXCERPT from the
America’s Magnolias feature.

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Features

• Growing Fertile Minds by Denise Cowie*
  Highlights of the 16th annual National Children & Youth Garden Symposium in the Greater Philadelphia area.
   
• Orchids for Temperate Gardens by Brian F. Jorg
  Hardy terrestrial orchids add an exotic touch to any garden.
   
• Species Tulips by Joan de Grey
  Returning year after year, species tulips are elegant additions to the spring bulb display.

Web special: Additional Species Tulips

• Plants with Presence by Scott Ogden and Lauren Springer Ogden
  In the design process, take into account a plant’s cultural needs, but also its character and how it reflects a sense of place. (This is an excerpt from the book Plant-Driven Design: Creating Gardens That Honor Plants, Place, and Spirit to be published by Timber Press in October 2008.)
   
• Holly Shimizu: Transforming Public Horticulture by Carole Ottesen
  As executive director of the U.S. Botanic Garden, Holly Shimizu is connecting people to plants in the nation’s capital.
   
• America’s Magnolias by Gil Nelson
  Deserving of more attention, native magnolias range from bashful woodland denizens to bold sun-loving giants.

Web special: Propagating Native Magnolias

• Notes from River Farm*
  Insights and updates about American horticulture and the AHS from Board of Directors Chair Susie Usrey and Executive Director Tom Underwood.
   
• Members’ Forum*
  Reader letters to the editor.
   
• News from AHS*
  Updates on American Horticultural Society programs and events. In this issue: AHS joins No Child Left Inside Coalition, River Farm gets grant from Dominion Foundation, Denver Garden School celebrates natives, AHS Seed Exchange turns 50, Longwood graduate’s research aids planning for future AHS children’s programs, recipients of 2008 Growing Good Kids children’s book awards, Dr. Cathey Day lecture at River Farm in October.
   
• One on One With…
  Interviews with today’s leaders and trendsetters in gardening and horticulture. This issue: Amy Stewart, maverick garden writer.
   
• Green Garage*
  A series focusing on the AHS’s latest initiative to promote environmentally responsible gardening tools, supplies, and techniques. In this issue: Safely feeding backyard birds.
   
• Gardener’s Notebook*
  Short, newsworthy articles on horticultural topics. This issue: Spray-on frost tolerance invented, researchers discover plants can recognize kin, USDA releases new Tecoma guarume cultivars, new online plant collections database launched, indoor gardens at New Jersey’s Duke Farms close, the cacao tree genome to be sequenced, glyphosate overuse poses risk of resistant weeds.
   
• Book Reviews*
  Featured: A Genius for Place, Growing Trees from Seed, and Herbaceous Perennial Plants.

Special focus: Gardening for the greater good.

• Regional Happenings*
  Listings of lectures, flower shows, and other gardening events across the country. Featured: Native plant conference at Birmingham Botanical Gardens in Alabama and the American Horticultural Therapy Association’s annual convention in Kentucky.
   
• Hardiness and Heat Zones and Pronunciations*
  A guide to USDA Plant Hardiness and AHS Plant Heat Zones for most of the cultivated plants listed in each issue - and a user-friendly guide to pronouncing their botanical names.
   
• Plant in the Spotlight
  A closer look at selected plants. This issue: Viburnum nudum ‘Pink Beauty’.

You can gain access to the online version of this issue of The American Gardener AND get a printed copy of each bimonthly issue mailed to your home by becoming an American Horticultural Society (AHS) member today. Click here to learn about the many other benefits of AHS membership--the annual Free Seed Exchange, toll-free gardener's hotline, free and discounted admission to flower shows and botanical gardens, and much more--and for a membership application. To purchase a single copy of the magazine, click here.

Items marked with an asterisk (*) can be viewed
by non-members without a username and password.

Letters to the editor should be emailed to: editor@ahs.org or mailed to:
Editor, AHS,
7931 East Boulevard Drive,
Alexandria VA 22308.