Youth Garden Symposium
The Society’s sixth annual Youth Garden Symposium, held July 30 to August 1 in Arlington, Virginia, was a rousing success, thanks to a stimulating group of speakers, a variety of workshops, and the enthusiasm of the 250 teachers, administrators, and horticulturists in attendance.

This year’s keynote speakers celebrated the diverse viewpoints that can be brought to bear on youth gardening. Felder Rushing, a garden writer and host of radio and television garden shows, challenged participants to break the traditional rules associated with children’s garden design by incorporating unusual objects and play areas in the garden. Jane Taylor, past curator of the 4-H Children’s Garden at Michigan State University, described the important role family involvement has played in the success of that garden and suggested ways in which other public gardens can achieve the same rapport with the community. Robin Moore, professor of landscape design at North Carolina State University, outlined his philosophy for transforming America’s schoolgrounds into more natural environments for play and learning. And Katy Moss Warner, director of horticulture at Walt Disney World, offered an inspiring vision of the future for children’s gardens and gardening in America.

Concurrent sessions focused on a wide variety of youth gardening themes. Jim Flint of the National Garden Association in Burlington, Vermont, gave a hands-on workshop on using growlights to garden indoors with children. Molly Dannenmaier, former children’s editor of Garden Design and author of A Child’s Garden, presented nine simple ideas for gardens designed to appeal to children. And Vicky Urcuyo of USDA’s child nutrition division introduced the “Team Nutrition” project, which teaches children to grow their own food in order to encourage healthier diets.

The opening reception for the symposium was held at the Society’s River Farm headquarters. Guests at the reception got a chance to see two new children’s gardens that were added to the grounds following a garden design contest among students at several local elementary and middle schools. The contest winners were the Jelly Bean Garden, designed by Deidre Swider, and Princess Diana’s Garden, designed by Cristina Luna. Both designers are fifth-graders at the Nativity School in Burke, Virginia.


 

Plant Rescue
In late June, AHS interns and volunteers helped “rescue” a variety of native plants threatened by road construction along a section of Interstate Route 66 bordering the Thompson Wildlife Area in Lindell, Virginia. Interns Cara Murray and Pier Hutton collaborated with River Farm volunteers Jordan Price, Katie Burney, and Andrew Lawrence in the plant salvage operation, which was performed with the blessings of the Virginia Native Plant Society.

Among the natives saved from the bulldozer were wild ginger (Asarum canadense), black cohosh (Cimicifuga racemosa), bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis), Solomon’s-seal (Polygonatum biflorum), false spikenard (Smilacina racemosa), and an as-yet unidentified trillium (Trillium sp.).

“It was really satisfying to see the truck full of these woodland treasures at the end of our hunt,” says Murray. The salvaged natives are now growing happily in the shade of the enormous osage orange tree here at River Farm.


 

Asian Beetle Strikes Again
No sooner had we published the article on the sightings of Asian long-horned beetles in Brooklyn and Long Island, New York (see “Conservationist’s Notebook” in the July/August issue), than we heard news out of Chicago that an infestation of these imported, tree-boring pests had been discovered in the Ravenswood section of that city. Subsequently, smaller infestations were found in another Chicago neighborhood.

The beetles in these Chicago areas were first discovered in firewood cut from local trees, but officials from the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and local regulatory agencies believe the original source of the beetles is the same as that of the infestations in New York and of beetles intercepted at ports in California, South Carolina, and Canada: wooden crates and other packing material used to bring in goods from China.

The Ravenswood infestation—estimated to be at least two years old—appears to be confined to just under 100 acres, but officials plan to continue surveys in surrounding areas before beginning removal of beetle-damaged trees this fall.
The beetle, which bores holes in living trees, has the potential to damage or kill a wide range of ornamental and forest trees. Large-scale infestations could trigger a proliferation of quarantines on interstate shipments of ornamental trees and firewood. To lessen the likelihood of further infestations, the Washington, D.C.-based American Nursery and Landscape Association and other nursery trade organizations are lobbying for stricter federal regulations on wood packing materials used with imports from Asia.


 

Franklinia Census
Next year is the 300th anniversary of the birth of American botanist and plant explorer John Bartram who, along with his son, William, fortuitously saved one of our most beautiful native trees, Franklinia alatamaha, from extinction. As part of celebrations planned for the anniversary year, Historic Bartram’s Garden in Philadelphia is conducting a nationwide census of franklinias, all of which are originally derived from seeds the Bartrams collected from a small grove of the trees they discovered in 1765 growing along the Alatamaha River in Georgia. Propagated and grown in the Bartrams’ botanic garden near Philadelphia, the tree was named to honor the elder Bartram’s good friend Benjamin Franklin. After 1803 the trees had vanished from the wild.

The census will help determine the tree’s range, cultural preferences, potential lifespan, and potential dimensions in cultivation. Five franklinias growing at AHS’s River Farm headquarters have already been included in the census.
Respondents to the census will be entered in a “Franklinia Olympics,” in which prizes will be awarded in various categories—largest tree, most westerly tree, strangest franklinia anecdote, etc. Final results of the census will be posted on the Historic Bartram’s Garden web site in May as part of Bartram 300 festivities. To receive a census form or more information about the planned celebrations, call (215) 729-5281 or visit www.libertynet.org/~bartram.


 

Fred Galle
Fred Galle, an internationally known azalea expert and former president of the American Horticultural Society, died July 26 in Springfield, Illinois. He was 79. Galle was primarily responsible for designing, planting, and nurturing the renowned plant displays at Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain, Georgia. He worked at Callaway for 30 years—26 as director of horticulture—before retiring in 1983. In 1985, Galle’s 486-page opus, Azaleas, was published by Timber Press. Now in its third printing, it is still considered the pre-eminent reference on the subject and was recognized last year as one of AHS’s 75 Great American Garden Books. Galle wrote a similarly authoritative book, Hollies: The Genus Ilex, published in 1997.
Although Galle is best known for his work with native azaleas, his interests were wide-ranging. His plant introductions include Clethra alnifolia ‘Hummingbird’, Nandina ‘Harbor Dwarf’, Hexastylis shuttleworthii ‘Callaway’, and two native azalea hybrids, ‘Choice Cream’ and ‘Galle’s Choice’.

“Fred’s life was defined by all-around excellence. His horticultural legacy ranges from his exploration and plant introductions to research and publications,” says AHS President Emeritus H. Marc Cathey. “His books on azaleas and hollies are the standard references on these marvelous and essential plants for everyone’s garden.”

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