conifer quarterly

Conifer QuarterlyVol. 21 No. 4 Fall 2004

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An exhibit at the New YorkBotanical Gardens, coinciding withthe re-opening of their refurbishedconifer collection, runs fromOctober 30, 2004, through January30, 2005. Read more on page 27.

Right: Thuja occidentalis ‘Emerald’at the Cox Arboretum in Georgia.

Below: Thuja occidentalis ‘GoldenTuffet,’ also at the Cox Arboretum.

Turn to page 6 to read about morearborvitae cultivars.

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Vol. 21 No. 4 CONIFER QUARTERLY 1

Conifer Society voices

2 President’s Message4 Editor’s Memo

30 Conifer Puzzle Page36 Iseli Grant Recipient Announced37 Conifers in the News46 News from our Regions

Cover photo: Thuja occidentalis ‘Gold Drop’ in the garden of Charlene and Wade Harris.See the article beginning on page 12 to read more about this cultivar.

The Conifer Quarterly is the publication of The Conifer Society

ContentsFeatured conifer genus: Thuja (arborvitae)

6 Arborvitae in Your Ornamental Conifer GardenTom Cox

12 Improving the Tree of Life: Thuja occidentalis From SeedClark West

17 Thuya Garden: An Oasis Along Maine’s Rocky CoastAnne Brennan

20 Reader Recommendations

More features

26 Grand Re-Opening of Benenson Ornamental Conifersfrom the New York Botanical Garden

32 Marvin Snyder Recognized for Dedicated Support

33 Award for Development in the Field of Conifers Presented toJ.R.P. van Hoey Smith

38 All Eyes on OhioBill Barger

42 Dutch Conifer Society Tours West CoastDon Howse

Inside-5.qxp 10/6/04 3:53 PM Page 1

2 CONIFER QUARTERLY Vol. 21 No. 4

ConiferQuarterly

Fall 2004Volume 21, No. 4

The Conifer Quarterly (ISSN 8755-0490) ispublished quarterly by the American ConiferSociety. The Society is a non-profit or-ganization incorporated under the laws of theCommonwealth of Pennsylvania and is tax ex-empt under section 501(c)3 of the Internal Rev-enue Service Code.

You are invited to join our Society. Pleaseaddress membership and other inquires to theConifer Society National Office, P.O. Box3422, Crofton, MD 21114-0422. Membership:US $30 (basic), $30 (institutional) $50 (sus-taining), $100 (corporate/business) and $130(patron). If you are moving, please notify theNational Office 4 weeks in advance.

Editorial and advertising matters shouldbe sent to the Editor: Anne Brennan, 145Cedar St., Jenkintown, PA 19046.

EditorAnne Brennan

Technical EditorsEthan JohnsonSusan MartinR. William Thomas

Advisory CommitteeTom Cox, Committee ChairJane FramptonCharlene HarrisTom Schlerethex officio: Don Wildex officio: Dennis Grohex officio: John Martin

Copyright © 2004, American Conifer Society.All rights reserved. No material containedherein may be reproduced in any form with-out prior written permission of the publisher.Opinions expressed by authors and advertis-ers are not necessarily those of the Society.

Note: Hardiness Zone references in theConifer Quarterly are USDA classificationsunless otherwise specified.

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

In my first president’s message, I wouldlike to thank Dennis Groh and MarvinSynder for their efforts and patiencewhile preparing me for this position.During his time in office, Dennisstressed the need for and the apprecia-tion of volunteer efforts by our mem-bers. I would like to continue on thatcourse. There is a central core of folkswho provide the primary energy of theorganization, and we need to expandthat core. We will be asking for helpfrom both old and new members whopossess a willingness to help the organ-ization prosper and grow.

Others in this issue will discuss theterrific meeting we had in Ohio, so Iwill just say that it was a record-settinggathering, and it will stand as the bench-mark for the success of future meetings.

Focus on local “rendezvous” events“What is the organization doing for its

members?” I have heard this questionon several occasions. At first glance, itis apparent to long-standing membersthat the Society provides an excellent

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Quarterly that continues to expand andexcel. Further, we coordinate four majorgatherings each year and are developinga database for conifers on our Web sitethat is designed to help those seeking in-formation about or access to conifers.We are a charity organization and pro-vide funds to arboreta through several

means. But the important product thatwe provide is opportunity.

Gary Whittenbaugh and Flo Chaffinhave both demonstrated that small localmeetings are successful in gaining newmembers. These rendezvous allow smallprivate garden visits which may be morerelevant to the average gardener than arethe large arboretum tours. Camaraderiedevelops through the sharing of commonproblems and solutions during these ren-dezvous. These small meetings have be-come increasingly popular in Iowa andserve as a model for meetings in all theregions. George Okken’s grafting classin the Northeast is another example of asuccessful local meeting format.

So what exactly is a rendezvous?Typically it is a one-day event structuredaround visits to between four and sixgardens. It is held on a weekend to re-duce possible conflicts with Monday-to-Friday work commitments or kids’

school schedules. Invitations are sent toall members in the immediate region,and each person is encouraged to bring aguest. A small fee is collected from thosethat wish to have brunch. Attendees pro-vide their own transportation, so RSVPis requested but not required. The Soci-ety will reimburse organizers for costs ofmailings and handouts distributed at thetime of the meeting.

It takes only three things to pull off arendezvous: a little work, a little time,and a little courage. Frequent CentralRegion rendezvous organizer GaryWhittenbaugh admits that he may havemore fun than any of the attendees!

Local events are likely to attract asegment of our membership that is un-able to attend the larger, more costly re-gional and national meetings. CharleneHarris, who has served as our NationalMeeting coordinator, has made everyeffort to keep costs at a minimum.However, meals, buses, banquet halls,speakers, and equipment drive the basecost of a meeting beyond many mem-bers’ budgets, especially our youngermembers – the Conifer Society’s fu-ture! The local rendezvous format re-moves this barrier to participation.

I see no reason why we cannot suc-cessfully organize 20 rendezvous meet-ings throughout the country next Spring.The best time is usually between May15th and the first weekend in June, solet’s get to work!

It takes only three things to pull off a rendezvous:a little work, a little time,

and a little courage.



EDITOR’S MEMO

Publication DatesDeadline to Publication Date

Issue Calendar Quarter submit articles (approx. mailing)

Winter Jan/Feb/Mar Oct 31 Jan 15Spring Apr/May/Jun Jan 31 Apr 15

Summer Jul/Aug/Sept Apr 30 July 15Fall Oct/Nov/Dec 31 July 31 Oct 15

Submit articles/photos to:

Anne Brennan, Conifer Quarterly Editor

145 Cedar St., Jenkintown, PA 19046 • PH (215) 376-0231

FAX (215) 827-5926 • E-mail: [email protected]

Summer is gone and autumn is upon us.Rather than fight the change in seasons,I share with you my top three reasons toenjoy the coming of winter:

#3 – Deciduous conifers are turningcolor and shedding their needles,providing conifer collectors an op-portunity to educate passers-by whoask, “Why is your pine tree dying?”

#2 – The higher the ratio of evergreens todeciduous plants in your garden, themore confidently you can sit backand enjoy a soothing beverage asneighbors drag rakes and lug leaf-blowers around their yards for fourweekends in a row.

#1 – Pruning conifers and evergreens inlate fall produces a free supply ofmaterial for making unique holi-day garlands. Be the only one onyour block to have Hinoki falsecy-

press and golden arborvitae ropingdraped above your front door!

Photo contest deadline approachingNow that we have staved off that end-of-summer depression, I hope that you willchoose to participate in our upcomingphoto contest in the Winter issue. Sincethe issue’s theme is gold and variegatedconifers, all photo submissions shouldrelate to that topic in some way, even ifindirectly. Show us a plant you recom-mend, or share a close-up of thosegolden needles. Use your imagination.

Entries will be judged by the Editorbased on overall visual appeal, and thewinner will receive a one-year member-ship renewal. Runner-up prizes may beawarded as well. If we get a good re-sponse, we’ll continue the photo contestin each issue.

Please check the Conifer Quarterly



BY ANNE M. BRENNAN

Special color photo section to highlight the

Winter issue

The Winter issue will launchour photo contest (see Editor’sMemo at left for details) andfeature gold and variegatedconifers, with even more colorpages to show off yourfavorites!

In addition to our color covers,a special 8-page color sectionwill display some of the bestgold and variegated conifers –based on members’ input – in their full glory. The Editormust receive your photos byNovember 15th.

Remember when we saw ...?

The Spring 2005 ConiferQuarterly will feature yourconifer-related travel stories.We’d love to hear about yourmost unusual, surprising orhilarious memory from aConifer Society meeting,vacation, or drive along thehighway.

Plan now to send yourdescription, short articleand/or photo to the Editor byFebruary 10th.

section of the Web site (conifersoci-ety.org) or contact me if you are unfa-miliar with the photo submissionguidelines. Thanks and good luck!

In this issueWhile the Winter issue promises to be agreat one, there is plenty in our currentissue to satisfy your conifer appetite.Several articles about our featured genus,Thuja, provide a general overview of thearborvitae (from Tom Cox) as well asspecific accounts of seed-propagationexperiments (from Clark West) and culti-var recommendations for the upper Mid-west (Charlene Harris) and the Southeast(Maud Henne).

Then, read the latest news from theNew York Botanical Garden regardingtheir restored conifer collection, fol-lowed by recaps of the 2004 MeritAward presentations made during thissummer’s meetings. Learn what MarvinSnyder and Dick van Hoey Smith havedone to enhance the progress of theConifer Society and the field of conifercollecting.

A look back at this summer’s na-tional meeting in Ohio, by meeting co-chair Bill Barger, accompanies photos ofthe meeting events sent in by severalmembers in attendance. Finally, DonHowse shares a refreshing account of theDutch Conifer Society’s visit to Oregonin August – after reading it you will feelas if you were traveling with them,singing on the bus and visiting some ofthe region’s notable conifer destinations.

Best wishes for the remainder of2004!



All 35 species and cultivars of Thuja ondisplay in the Cox Arboretum here inCanton, Georgia, are proving them-selves worthy of at least one role in thelandscape, so I am pleased to sharesome of my favorites with you in thisissue of the Conifer Quarterly that fea-tures this genus.

Depending whether you considerOriental arborvitae under the now-obso-lete name of T. orientalis or using its newclassification Platycladus orientalis,Thuja is a genus containing either five orsix species. This article will discuss allsix, two of which are from North Amer-ica and four from eastern Asia. They arecommonly named arborvitae – Latin for“tree of life” – and sometimes referred toas cedars, as in western redcedar (Thujaplicata) and northern whitecedar (Thujaoccidentalis). But these are not the truecedars, which all belong to the genus Ce-drus and are not native to North America.

Thuja, pronounced (Thoo-ya) rangefrom very tall evergreen trees exceeding100 feet (30 m) in height down to dwarfspecimens less than one foot (30 cm)tall. Many of the smaller forms are ex-cellent plants for small-scale landscapesor rock gardens, and due to their myriadcolors and interesting forms, they arequite versatile. As I travel around theU.S., I see Thuja planted in virtuallyevery arboretum and botanical gardenfrom Minnesota to California to Florida

to Pennsylvania. They are used in everysituation from foundation plantings andaccents to screens and hedges.

Thuja occidentalis American arborvitae, northernwhitecedar, or Western tree of life“Western” here refers to the westernworld, as opposed to the Far East, orOrient. Early in the 16th century, thisspecies was recognized for its medicinalvalue. The French explorer Cartierlearned from the Native Americans howto use the tree’s bark and foliage to re-duce fever and treat scurvy. Since itsmain native range is from the southernpart of the eastern half of Canada andthe adjacent northern part of the U.S., Ihave been surprised at how well thespecies performs here in the southeast.My observation is that it is not as vigor-

Arborvitae in Your Ornamental Conifer Gardenby Tom Cox

Observations prove that Thuja aren’t just for hedges anymore

Below: T. occidentalis ‘Linesville’

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ous as it might be in a cooler climate. Inits native environment, the species canattain heights of 40 to 50 feet (12–15 m)at maturity and can live for over 400years in swamps or in other lowlandsand over 1,000 years on limestone cliffs.Northern whitecedar is highly suscepti-ble to fire damage because its bark isthin and has a high oil content. It is pre-ferred by whitetail deer as a food sourceand thus can sustain major browse dam-age. The only insects that I have ob-

served here in Georgia are bagwormsand spider mites, and neither have beena serious problem.

Here in the south, and possibly inother regions, they prefer moist, well-drained soil and are not particular as tosoil pH. We grow them in full sun andconsider them fairly trouble free. As withalmost all conifers in the arboretum, wegive them lots of water in the summer,but once established they are fairlydrought tolerant. Pruning is a bit tricky

on this species; since old wood willnot produce new growth, pruningmust be done regularly withoutcutting beyond live foliage.

There are over 100 commer-cial cultivars in the market, andmany are very similar – an exam-ple of sloppy naming and intro-duction. Of the 17 cultivars thatwe grow, here are my favorites:‘Degroot’s Spire’ forms a narrow

columnar specimen thattops out at around 10 feet(3 m) tall and 1 foot (30cm) wide at the base. Forbest form, look for speci-mens that have a singleleader, and plant in fullsun.‘Emerald,’ which origi-nated in Denmark, wasintroduced into the U.S.as ‘Smaragd’ but nurs-erymen here changedthe name to ‘Emerald’or ‘Emerald Green.’ It isa narrow, compact py-ramidal form that growsto around 10 feet (3 m)tall by 3 feet (1 m) wide.

Left: T. occidentalis‘Degroot’s Spire’

Below: T. orientalis‘Beverly Hills’



This cultivar has performed well inthe south and retains its emerald-green foliage in winter – the onlycultivar of this species that I’ve ob-served with this characteristic. It’sone of my favorite conifers.

‘Linesville’ (‘Bobazam,’ Mr. BowlingBall®) forms a broad, globe-shaped,light bluish-green dwarf that’s only 3feet (1 m) high and wide at maturity.This is a new plant for us but alreadyanother of my favorites.

‘Malonyana Aurea’ is one to considerif you want a screaming yellow ac-cent. Since it’s not yet mature, I’mguessing it will eventually attain asize of 4 feet (120 cm) tall and wide.Like all Thuja, it can be kept prunedto fit into a smaller space.

‘Golden Tuffet’ is a new cultivar for us.My understanding is that it originatesfrom a sport of T. o. ‘Rheingold’ foundat Iseli nursery in Boring, Oregon.

‘Teddy’ reminds me of a little bun of finemoss that is bright green in summerand bronze in winter. It retains its finejuvenile foliage and so far has retainedits perfect globe shape without prun-ing. I expect that it will mature at aboutthe same size as T. o. ‘Linesville.’Overall, a great little plant.

‘Sherwood Frost’ is a slow-growing,narrowly columnar plant that haslight creamy-white branch tips. Insize and form it resembles ‘Emer-ald.’ This one would probably dowell in a bit of light shade as an alter-native to full sun.

Thuja orientalis (now Platycladus orientalis)Oriental arborvitae, Eastern tree of lifeThis species has undergone a namechange and is now classified as the sepa-rate genus Platycladus orientalis. I amchoosing to utilize the old name hereonly for the purpose of discussion along-side the other Thuja species.

Its principal distinguishing featuresare in the appearance of its cones and fo-liage as well as its almost scentless sap.Along with Juniperus chinensis andPinus tabulaeformis, the Oriental ar-borvitae is one of three conifers mostfrequently cultivated in China. A numberof cultivars are planted in the west, butits typical form is rarely seen outside ofChina.

Compared to T. occidentalis, Orientalarborvitae is better adapted to the souththan to the northern latitudes. Native toChina, Manchuria and Korea, it does notgrow as large as T. occidentalis and re-quires less moisture. My main criticismof the species is the winter discolorationof many cultivars. That said, there areseveral that I consider first-class.‘Beverly Hills’ is a superb compact py-

ramidal form that will mature toaround 8 to 10 feet (2.5–3 m). Thesoft, fern-like foliage is a bright yel-low-gold and retains its color through-out the year. The silver-white cones,produced at a young age, add to itsbeauty.

‘Blue Cone’ has a great upright oval(egg-shaped) form and, when prunedwell, is quite full. The color and thecones have a bluish hue but this is notreally a blue form.

‘Morgan’ is a plant we received fromLarry Stanley (Stanley & Sons Nurs-



ery in Boring, Oregon) that I didn’tthink much about until the first winter.For us in the south, the juvenile leaves(fans) are pale green in the summer,and the plant is very tight. As winterapproaches, the outer margins of thefans turn plum purple while the inner

margins retain the green color. This isa knockout plant and everyone whosees it wants it. It’s on my Top 10 listof all small conifers!

‘Pyramidalis Aurea’ is similar in formto T. occidentalis ‘Degroots Spire’ buthas bright golden-yellow leaves. Ihave been told that this may not be alegitimate name for the cultivar, but Ihave no other name in my records.This is a tough plant with beautifultwisted foliage that seems to like heatbut would also be hardy in at leastZone 5. As with too many conifer cul-tivars, there is either a lack of infor-mation on the ultimate size or it isincorrect. My guess is that this culti-var will mature between 10 to 15 feet(3–4.5 m) tall with a three-foot (1-m)spread.

Thuja plicata Western redcedar or giant western arborvitaeAs if one needed an excuse, it is worth atrip to the Pacific Northwest just to see

T. plicata growing in its native environ-ment. In areas of high rainfall, T. plicataattains heights in excess of 200 feet (60m). The tree has many uses – nativeAmericans used it for totem poles andcanoes, and the tough roots were usedfor fish hooks. It is also the principalsource of wooden shingles.

The late J.C. Raulston recognizedthe potential for this tree in the south.Today, T. plicata is one of the most pro-moted coniferous trees for the Southand, along with Cryptomeria japonica,has mostly replaced Leyland cypress incommercial plantings. Many nursery-men tell me that they can’t keep up withthe demand. ‘Canadian Gold’ has bright gold fo-

liage that holds up well in our heatand humidity and does not burn infull sun.

‘Cuprea’ is a new plant for us this yearand so far, hasn’t been extremelyhappy in its new home. Upon seeingit for the first time at Iseli Nursery inBoring, Oregon, I was excited aboutthis diminutive Thuja with a mixtureof creamy-yellow and copper foliage.We are evaluating it in half-day sun,and I see this as a great plant in thethree- to four-foot (90–120 cm) rangeto place along a mixed (deciduousand evergreen) border pathway.

‘Sunshine’ is my personal favorite ofthe golden-yellow forms. The foliageis very full and holds up well undersummer heat. It is supposed to attaina height of 30 feet (9 m). Ours hasonly put on a couple of inches of newgrowth each year so, given its presentheight of only four feet (120 cm), Iknow I will only see a mature speci-men in books or other gardens.

Today, T. plicata is one of the most promoted

coniferous trees for theSouth ... and has mostly

replaced Leyland cypress in commercial plantings

01-48 10/11/04 4:32 PM Page 9


Thuja standishiiJapanese arborvitaeThis species is native to the mountainsof Honshu and Shikoku in Japan, whereit grows primarily in subalpine and cooltemperate forest. This is one of the “FiveSacred Trees of Kiso,” a group that in-cludes Hinoki cypress (Chamaecyparisobtusa), Sawara cypress (C. pisifera),elk horn cedar (Thujopsis dolobrata)and umbrella pine (Sciadopitys verticil-lata). These valuable trees of the KisoForest were protected during feudaltimes from being cut by common peo-ple; they were only cut for the resi-dences and temples of royalty andpowerful families in the area. Cutting bycommoners was punishable by death.

About five years ago, we received awild-collected specimen that today is ap-proximately 10 feet (3 m) tall and is oneof the most beautiful specimens that I’veseen. The limbs sweep down from themain trunk and then arc skyward. Thefoliage droops from the branches in afashion reminiscent of a Bassett hound’sears. The combined effect provides a sur-real specimen. This spring we received asmall cultivar named ‘Wakehurst’ thatwe are evaluating. At this stage, it’s tooearly to render an opinion.

Thuja koraiensisKorean arborvitaeThis species is very similar to T. sutchue-nensis except that on T. koraiensis, theshoots bear scaly leaves and the under-sides of the leaves are glaucous. The dis-tribution of this species is the Koreanpeninsula along with a disjunct popula-tion that is confined to a section of theChangbai Mountains in China’s JilinProvince, where it is classified as “vul-nerable” and is therefore protected.While the specimens that I’ve seen innorthern arboreta are in the 10-foot (3-m)range, mature trees can reach 30 feet (9m) in height in their native environment.

We are currently growing a cultivar‘Glauca Prostrata,’ but I’m not certainthis is a valid name. There are two spec-imens in the arboretum. One looks as

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though it will become a small shrubwhile the other has a growth habit simi-lar in form to Juniperus horizontalis andis currently eight inches (20 cm) tallwith a spread of around two feet (60cm). Both are blue-green and have thecharacteristic silver undersides to the fo-liage. I am rather fond of the species butdoubt it will ever be in the mainstreamnursery business.

Thuja sutchuenensisSichuan arborvitaeAs late as 1998, this species was listed asextinct in the wild but was rediscoveredin 1999 by a regional team of botaniststhat were searching for endangeredplants. The species name is derived fromthe area (formerly a part of easternSichuan Province) in central China whereit was first discovered around 1892. Laterin the twentieth century, a number of tripswere launched to rediscover T. sutchue-nensis. However, nothing was found, andit therefore remained known only fromspecimens last collected around 1900. Asa result, the species was widely regardedas extinct in the wild. However, remnantwild populations were found on steepslopes and ridges of limestone forma-tions where the soil is shallow.

In my travels, I don’t recall seeingthis species in any collection. Severalyears ago we received six rooted cut-tings, of which all but one has died. Ithas struggled and soon will receive anew location in the arboretum in sharpsoil of a higher pH. There are no culti-vars, and I suspect this plant shall re-main relegated to arboretum status or asa curiosity to the intrepid collector. Likethe genus Metasequoia, it certainly hasan interesting story of rediscovery.

Hybrid Thuja: ‘Green Giant’‘Green Giant’ was introduced in 1967 tothe U.S. National Arboretum from Den-mark and is supposedly a hybrid of T.standishii x plicata. It was named byDon Shadow after being mislabeled inthe trade as T. occidentalis ‘Gigan-teoides.’

It is a tall, fast-growing, upright ever-green tree with a tightly pyramidal toconical growth habit. The foliage remainsa rich glossy green throughout the year inthe South, and deer seem to leave italone. Here at the arboretum, we haveplanted forty-eight ‘Green Giants’ forscreening. This is one of the fastest grow-ing trees that we grow and, once estab-lished, displays good drought tolerance.

Thuja is a very diverse genus withspecies and cultivars of every size, form,and color. There is literally a plant forevery application and USDA Zone.

About the author: In 1990, Tom Cox andhis wife, Evelyn, founded the Cox Ar-boretum in Canton, Georgia, which isnow recognized as one of the largest pri-vate collections of woody plants in thesoutheast. Today they are growing over600 different conifers covering 29 gen-era. Visit www.coxgardens.com formore information. ▲

01-48 10/11/04 4:33 PM Page 11


Even though many collectors of dwarfconifers are not particularly drawn to ar-borvitae cultivars, most will admit thatarborvitae can add structure and charac-ter to a landscape. Still, nurserymenprobably appreciate this genus more thana lot of Conifer Society members do.

My interest in arborvitae stemslargely from the fact that they are easilyraised from seed, the seedlings of culti-vars can be variable, and the seed isreadily available. They are also easy totransplant at any season, and my friendsand relatives always seem happy to takemy excess plants!

If seed propagation intrigues you, Isuggest you take a look at Thuja occiden-talis as a subject for experimentation. Inmy experience, the variability ofseedlings of Pinus and Picea is not great,nor do their cultivars frequently have vi-able seed. The only real fun with pinesand spruces for the person interested indeveloping new cultivars comes fromwitches’ broom seedlings. While culti-vars of Chamaecyparis lawsoniana(Lawson cypress), C. obtusa (Hinokifalsecypress), and to some extent C.pisifera (Japanese falsecypress) may pro-duce seedlings of considerable variety, C.lawsoniana seeds are not easy to obtain,and C. obtusa cultivars do not grow wellin my Midwest climate. As a result, Ihave developed a special interest in Thujaoccidentalis seed and collect it – openlyor surreptitiously – wherever I find it.

Second-generation payoff is possibleThere are a number of T. occidentalis cul-tivars from which I have not yet grownany exciting seedlings, although I admitthat I have not grown hundreds of anyone variety. These include T. o. ‘Pyrami-

dalis,’ ‘Pyramidalis Compacta,’ ‘Techny,’‘Wansdyke Silver,’ ‘Spiralis,’ ‘LittleChampion,’ and ‘Pendula.’ The seedlingshave all looked like the parent plant. Seedbatches from yellow cultivars such as T.o. ‘Pumila Sudworth,’ ‘Watnong Gold,’and ‘Sunkist’ usually produce somethingshort of 50% yellow seedlings, the exactfraction being difficult to determine be-cause yellow seedlings have a high mor-tality. But almost invariably, the yellowseedlings end up looking like their yel-low parent and the greens are of little in-terest. One or two seedlings from T. o.‘Hetz Midget’ and ‘Rosenthalii’ grewrapidly and resembled generic arborvitae– that is, they had few characteristics todifferentiate them from the species. As Iwill discuss shortly, “ugly ducklings” likethese are also common with seedlings ofT. o. ‘Holmstrup,’ but they may have fur-ther potential nonetheless.

Improving the Tree of Life:Thuja occidentalis from Seedby Clark West

The fun begins when a yellow seedling is

observed from a green parent.



The fun begins when a yellowseedling is observed from a green par-ent. In such cases, there’s a good chancethe plant will have characteristics thatdiffer from existing cultivars, but thereis no guarantee that it will win anybeauty contests or that you will becomethe Luther Burbank of arborvitae.

Many years ago, two of about 20plants I grew from ‘Holmstrup’ seedwere yellow. (‘Holmstrup’ is one of myfavorites; it is a slow-growing uprightgreen cultivar with relatively fine, densefoliage and a compact, refined appear-ance. It competes favorably with T. o.‘Degroot’s Spire’ as one of the best, but‘Degroot’s Spire’ rarely sets seed.) Oneof my two yellow seedlings grew into anuninspiring generic yellow, but the otherwas apparently endowed with somegood genes from its mother. It now dis-plays thickly set, bright yellow foliage,but it grows slowly. Some of you mayknow it as the cultivar ‘Gold Drop.’ Theoriginal ‘Gold Drop,’ at age 14, still turnsheads, as it stands about five feet (1.5 m)tall with foliage that is very yellow insummer and a striking orange in winter.

Seeds from ‘Hetz Wintergreen’ – avigorous upright plant favored by nurs-

erymen because it usually keeps a singletrunk – gave me my second yellowseedling from a green cultivar. My “yel-low wintergreen” has grown at aboutone-quarter the rate of its green siblingsand seems to differ from other yellowsin that it is columnar, like its parent.Currently, it is three times taller than itis wide. It may turn out to be similar to‘Pumila Sudworth’ or a more uprightversion of ‘Sunkist’ or ‘Lutea’ (‘GeorgePeabody’). Or it could develop into astriking, golden spire. Time will tell!

The third yellow plant I’ve grownfrom a green plant’s seed is still in itsearly infancy and is described later inthis article.

Where did the many T. occcidentaliscultivars listed in the conifer referencebooks originate? From the descriptions,we can infer that most were developedby nurserymen who, in many cases over100 years ago, spotted variants amongperhaps hundreds of seedlings. To myknowledge, there is no record of the fre-quency with which cultivars producevariant seedlings. As noted above, manyseem to have very stable genes and pro-duce few if any variants, but I havefound one which does have variable

Two yellow seedlingsfrom a batch of seedfrom T. occidentalis‘Holmstrup,’ a greencultivar. At age 10months, the seedling on the right was alreadythe more compact ofthe two and wassubsequently named T. o. ‘Gold Drop.’



progeny – T. o. ‘Hoseri.’‘Hoseri’ is an upright green cultivar

which was, for obscure reasons, popularin the Cincinnati area at one time and canstill occasionally be seen in parks andcemeteries in the region. I find that asmall percentage of its offspring willeventually grow into dense globes; how-ever, they have not been superior to otherglobes such as ‘Hetz Midget’ in any dis-cernable way. Another fraction of eachseedling batch produces tall, narrow,conical plants with foliage more denseand attractive than that of the parent, butalthough these specimens are very sym-metrical and have beautiful texture, theyprobably do not differ sufficiently fromothers with this form. A third ‘Hoseri’seedling variant has as yet been charac-terized only as “fast,” since it has no spe-cial attribute except rapid growth. At theage of about four years, it has grown tosix feet (1.8 m) and is putting on at least30 inches (75 cm) this year. It is conicalwith an open habit and has finer foliagetexture than that of the other rapidgrower, the hybrid ‘Green Giant.’

As a final example of a second-gen-eration seedling success, two seedlingsfrom an old specimen labeled T. o.‘Sherwood Plumespire,’ (which is prob-ably the same as ‘Sherwood Column,’)developed identical juvenile foliage.Their habit is loose and open and theirgrowth is slow. As they age, their foliageis taking on the adult arborvitae config-uration but with more threadlike texturereminiscent of T. o. ‘Filiformis.’ Thesetwo are certainly conversation pieces!

Third-generation surprisesI have become interested in seeds of theso-called “ugly ducklings,” or generic

seedlings, mentioned above since eachappears to carry some good genes fromits attractive parent, and these may man-ifest as different forms in their seedlings.For example, I’ve found that betweenfive and 50 percent of seedlings from theslow-growing ‘Holmstrup’ will be fastgrowing and lack the refined look oftheir parent. One resulting plant is coni-cal and dense, becoming broader withage and looking nothing like ‘Holm-strup.’ Seeds sown from this plant, how-ever, have produced slow-growing,perfect ovals with small, vertically-ori-ented foliage reminscent of T. orientalisuntil age five to seven, when the shapebegins to open up.

A second ‘Holmstrup’ seedling isspire-like with relatively large foliageand open growth; again, this third-gener-ation offspring looks nothing like itscompact parent. Seed is ripening on thisplant as I write this, and I am hoping thatsome of the fourth-generation seedlingswill display their aristocratic “blood”!

“Ugly ducklings” I have grown onfrom ‘Rosenthalii’ and ‘Hetz Midget’have not yet reached seed-bearing age,so I can only dream about new cultivarsfrom those lines.

A slightly different scenario is devel-oping from another batch of third-gener-ation seedlings. This story begins with avisit long ago to Chub Harper’s gardenat a time when his T. o. ‘Filiformis,’ withits threadlike branches, had produced anabundance of seeds. He kindly let mecollect some and, of the 10 or 15seedlings, two looked like their parent. Ihave kept those but neither has producedseed yet. However, one of their generic-looking siblings did produce seed thisyear, and it is already apparent that



about 15% of these seedlings display thethreadlike foliage of their grandparent,while others are atypical in variousways. Even better, one seedling is yel-low. Will it be a yellow form of ‘Fili-formis’? Stay tuned! This outcomediffers from my experience with ‘Holm-strup’ described earlier, in that many ofthe third-generation seedlings here seemto be developing into perfect copies oftheir grandparent.

Like all gymnosperms, arborvitaedepend on the wind to transport theirpollen. Pollen release and the formationof receptive pollination droplets occurover a very short period of time for agiven plant, and you will miss the eventunless you make frequent rounds andknow what you are looking for. Thequantity of seed produced depends inpart on the weather during that period.Whether all cultivars release and receivepollen during the same brief time periodis unclear, but if they did and the windwas right, one would expect cross-polli-

nation. Yet in my experience, theseedlings do not display traits easily at-tributed to cultivars growing nearby. Thevariability appears to be the result of“selfing,” or self-pollination.

Try this at homeAnyone can grow arborvitae from seed.The small cones turn brown when theyare beginning to ripen, and seed disper-sal occurs from mid-September to lateOctober. I grow the seedlings in thebasement under lights in the winter, aftergerminating the seeds on filter paper inpetri dishes that are kept in Ziploc bagsunder lights. To minimize fungal growth,I moisten the filter paper with a suspen-sion of one-half teaspoon each of Captanand Benomyl in one pint of water. Asprouting seed is transferred with tweez-ers to soilless mix in a 2-3/8-inch (6-cm)square plant band, and cotyledonsemerge in about a week.

Using this method, 50 to 75 percentof the sprouted seeds survive to becomeseedlings; the lowest percentages resultfrom old seed batches or those seedswhich are the last to germinate within aparticular batch. I fertilize with Osmo-cote once the second leaves appear and,to prevent buildup of salts, I use a par-tial-immersion technique to water eachof the containers that holds 36 plantbands. Further, the damping off that af-fects spruce and other conifer seedlingshas not been a problem for me. The sur-vival rate seems to increase when I sur-round the seedlings with pans of waterwhile indoors. During their first summer

An oval, dwarf T. occidentalis descendedfrom tall, slow-growing T. o. ‘Holmstrup.’Its current height is 27 inches (68 cm).


16 THE CONIFER SOCIETY Vol. 21 No. 4

they are kept under 60% shade, and Iplant them out the next spring. Anysmall or abnormal seedlings may bekept in the shade another year.

One could argue that this hobby isless rewarding than hybridizing roses ordaylilies, but if you prefer conifers overthose plants, which will be more satisfy-ing? True hybridizing requires consider-able planning and record keeping, butyou only need patience and luck to de-velop new cultivars of arborvitae!

ReferencesWelch, H. and G. Haddow. 1993. The

World Checklist of Conifers. Lands-man’s Bookshop Ltd., Herefordshire,England.

Krussmann, G. 1985. Manual of Culti-vated Conifers. Timber Press, Port-land, Oregon.

Takaso, Tokushiro. 1990. “‘Pollinationdrop’ time at the Arnold Arboretum,”Arnoldia 50: 2-7.

About the author: Dr. West resides on about an acre in Harrison, Ohio, a short distancewest of Cincinnati. He has progressed over the years from growing roses to an interestin rock gardens to collecting conifers and, finally, propagating them. He is a long-standing member of the Conifer Society.

▲


During our last two vacations to MountDesert Island in Maine, my husbandTony and I have visited a unique horti-cultural attraction that should be of par-ticular interest to conifer lovers. Itscombination of local history, native floraand landscape design have something tooffer any traveler through the Pine TreeState.

The Thuya Garden andThuya Lodge lie on a hillsidein Northeast Harbor, Maine.The lodge was built as asummer residence by JosephHenry Curtis in the late1800s, and an orchard wasmaintained nearby. Upon hisdeath in 1928, Mr. Curtisgave his 140-acre tract ofland that included these fea-tures to the residents ofMount Desert Island. Atrustee and landscape archi-tect named Charles K. Sav-age renovated the lodge tofunction as a horticultural li-brary, and where the orchardonce stood, the Thuya Gar-den now grows.

While the large, semi-formal herbaceous gardendesigned by Mr. Savageprobably attracts more visi-tors overall than the conifersdo, a canopy of native Thuja occidentalis(northern whitecedar) surround the

smaller garden areas, and two small butwell-maintained conifer beds combinecultivars’ colors and textures as well asany public garden I’ve seen.

Since the property is also connectedto a network of hiking trails, there aretwo inconspicuous side entrances in ad-dition to the two ornate carved frontgates depicting Maine’s native flora and

Vol. 21 No. 4 THE CONIFER SOCIETY 17

Thuya Garden An Oasis Along Maine’s Rocky Coast

by Anne Brennan

Carved entrance gates greet visitors tothe Thuya Garden in Northeast Harbor,Maine.

01-48 10/11/04 4:13 PM Page 17


Above: The labeled conifer display beds, partially shown here, along with a semi-formal herbaceous garden add another dimension to the park-like setting of theThuya Gardens.

Left: The trunk architecture of a large Thuja occidentalis is easily visible from one ofthe walking trails.

fauna. Intriguing as that was, we typi-cally “hike” using four tires and a steer-ing wheel, so we had two options. Wecould either walk up the scenic 1/4-mileAsticou Terrace Trail from the parkingarea below, stopping to rest at one ofseveral lookouts, or we could drive thecar up the single-lane, winding dirt roadto the upper parking area, hoping wewouldn’t meet an SUV coming the otherway. Sad but true, we decided to drive,rationalizing that we could then maxi-mize our time in the gardens. So, I can-not give a first-hand account of theTerrace Trail feature until next time!

There are landscape and architec-tural features in the Thuya Garden to in-terest both plantspeople and what I call

the “lobster tourists.” Trails leadthrough fern-filled pockets, past a good-sized dawn redwood (Metasequoiaglyptostroboides) complete with a signencapsulating the species’ story of redis-covery, under the branches of old, multi-trunked T. occidentalis, and back to thegreen lawns and flower beds near ThuyaLodge. Benches and chairs invite fre-quent rest stops as visitors explore theviews from various levels of the hillyterrain, and you may also peruse the oldand rare books inside the two-storylodge-turned-library. So even on a rainyday, you won’t leave disappointed if ahealthy dose of Maine’s native floraalongside a well-designed and walkablelandscape is what you’re after. ▲


In my Central Virginia garden, hardinesszone 6-7, heat zone 6-7, certain cultivarsof Thuja occidentalis, T. orientalis andT. plicata have done very well.

The oldest plants in my collectionare growing in my woodland and wereplanted in 1987 when the garden wasstarted:

T. orientalis ‘Aurea Nana’ (also possi-bly known as ‘Bergman’s Golden’)

was developed by J. P. Bergman inAugusta, GA, in 1902, according toKrussmann’s Manual of CultivatedConifers. In the 1990s, before I in-stalled 8-foot netting all around thecollection as well as chicken wire andDeer Away for this particular plant, itsuffered many deer attacks. Sincethen, it has recovered and producedan attractive form with healthy fo-liage in green with a slight golden

hue. At a height of three-and-a-half feet (1 m) and a diameter oftwo feet (60 cm), it is a nice sizefor its location but probablysmaller than it would have beenwithout the earlier setbacks.T. occidentalis ‘Tiny Tim,’ with

a present height just underthree feet (90 cm), is also dis-playing nice green foliage.

T. occidentalis ‘Globosa Rhein-diana’ is growing from one ofthe cuttings that the late J.C.Raulston allowed Conifer So-ciety meeting attendees totake in the late 1980s. Myplant is less than two feet (60cm) tall. This plant resembles‘Tiny Tim’ in appearance butremains smaller.


Reader Recommendations: Thuja species and cultivars

Dwarf Arborvitae in a Central Virginia Gardenby Maud Henne

Thuja occidentalis ‘Tiny Tim’below Chamaecyparis pisifera‘Filifera Aurea Nana’



Thuja occidentalis ‘Minima,’ also a cut-ting from the J.C. Raulston Arbore-tum, now measures 33 inches (84 cm).

Would I recommend these plants? Thegreen globose forms are not spectacular,but they have proven to be very depend-able. They accept excessive rain,drought, high humidity, high tempera-tures, and deer damage. They mightshow some signs of stress for a while,but they recover without any specialtreatment. Overall, they are pleasant tohave around.

Several more cultivars that I ac-quired in the late 1990s are describedbelow. Origin information is fromKrussmann’s Manual of CultivatedConifers, and the years I obtained themappear in parentheses:

T. occidentalis ‘Hetz Midget’ (1997 and1998) – One plant is nine inches (23cm) and the other is 19 inches (48 cm),but both are globose. This cultivar wasintroduced into the trade in 1942.

T. orientalis ‘Wansdyke Silver’ (1999)wasn’t doing well so I’ve dug it upand kept it in a container. H. J. Welchdiscovered and named the cultivar in1962.

T. occidentalis ‘Sunkist’ (1999) – Thisgolden splash of foliage is a great ac-cent. It was developed before 1960 byGebr. Boer in Boskoop, Holland.

T. plicata ‘Cuprea’ (1997) is a delight-ful plant with pale yellow tips thatgrows very slowly. It was developed

around 1930 in England.To me, a plant layperson, a few cul-

tivars in my collection are hardly recog-nizable as arborvitae. One of these is T.occidentalis ‘Ericoides,’ planted in1997 and now 22 inches (56 cm) tall, be-cause of its soft, heather-like foliage.Another is T. orientalis ‘Ohlendorffii’(planted in 1990) with string-like juve-nile foliage.

A plant with variegated foliage that Iacquired under the name of T. orientalis‘van Hoey Smith’ was bright green andyellow but does not seem to like my cli-mate. It looks weak and sickly. I saw amature specimen in the Trompenburg Ar-boretum in Rotterdam, Holland, duringthe Conifer Society’s tour in 2000. Dickvan Hoey Smith laughed and said it flat-ters him that in the United States, T. ori-entalis 'Variegata' carries his name, butit is not an accepted botanical name. Thestory goes that cuttings from him got intothis country and made the rounds throughseveral nurseries, and one of the nursery-men, remembering only the source, usedthat as the description.

A plant sold as T. occidentalis‘Rheingold,’ at times widely availablehere because of its bronze color, doesnot like my garden at all. Over the years,I’ve tried more than half a dozen of themwithout success. I seem not to have the“bronze thumb” for that plant!

All in all, when I am asked whatwill grow well in my corner of CentralVirginia, Thuja always gets my recom-mendation. ▲


Many folks overlook the arborvitae ascommon and ordinary, but there are someextraordinary cultivars worth growing.Some of our favorites are the tall gold ar-borvitae, Thuja occidentalis ‘Aurea,’‘Lutea’ and ‘Sunkist.’ We’ve grown themall. As smaller trees they were multi-stemmed, but Wade began trimmingaway the side branches, and now eachhas a strong dominant main trunk.

Our home is located on a hill withabout one-acre of sandy-gravel glacialtill soil with clay veins. It is elevated 60feet (18 m) above an acre of flat marsh-land and muck soil over clay and abouta half-acre of oak-hickory woods. Wehave our Thuja planted in all of thesesettings and find them very adaptable.

In the spring of 1997, we movedthree, five-foot (1.5-m) tall T. occiden-talis ‘Lutea’ (George Peabody Arborvi-tae) from our Ann Arbor home to ourcurrent rural location 20 miles to thenorthwest. They currently form part of abarrier border along our south propertyline, where they grow in full sun. Theyare now 15 feet (4.5 m) tall and five tosix feet (approx. 1.5 m) wide, and growover one foot (30 cm) per year.

We have five T. occidentalis ‘Aurea’growing in a bermed area in front of ourhouse that range from 12 to 15 feet(3.5–4.5 m) tall and six feet (1.8 m)wide. Three of the five will be dug andrelocated this fall. We’ve found Thuja to

be quite resilient to moving regardlessof size due to their fibrous root systems.

Two T. occidentalis ‘Holmstrup’are planted in a narrow bed in front ofthe house. They are wonderful narrowarrows at five feet (1.5 m) tall and only16 inches (40 cm) wide, but they haveoutgrown the bed and will also bemoved this fall.

Among our narrowest arborvitae is a15-foot (4.5-m) tall and 32-inch (80-cm)wide T. occidentalis ‘Hood RiverCemetery’ purchased as a one-gallonplant at a Conifer Society meeting auc-tion. It is growing at about 12-14 inches(30–35 cm) per year as part of the southbarrier border. We would like to knowwhere this plant originated; if someonecould tell us we’d be thankful. It is nowa stately specimen rivaling our T. occi-dentalis ‘Malonyana’ but with denserfoliage. It maintains this dark greencolor through all seasons and is a greatcomplement to the gold ‘Lutea’ nearby.

Our three T. orientalis are six feet(1.8 m) tall and 32 inches (80 cm) wide,with lime green foliage arranged in flat


Reader Recommendations: Thuja species and cultivars

Thuja – a Few Favoritesby Charlene & Wade Harris

We’ve found Thuja to bequite resilient to movingregardless of size due to

their fibrous root systems.



vertical fans. We will be transplantingthem this fall.

A brace of Thuja occidentalis ‘Mal-onyana’ are planted on each side of ourstairway leading down to the lake on aneast-facing, somewhat dry hillside undera high canopy of oak and hickory. ThisHungarian arborvitae is extremely nar-row, very dark green, and maintains itscolor throughout the year in our climate.Purchased as five-foot (1.5-m) trees in2001, they were root bound in under-sized containers. They are now nine feet(2.7 m) tall, 20 inches (50 cm) wide andgrow about 15 inches (38 cm) per year.We hope to live long enough to see themreach the spectacular height of those pic-tured in Conifers, The Illustrated Ency-clopedia Vol. 2.

Thuja occidentalis ‘Wareana’ has aunique creamy pale green color. It is aslow growing pyramidal tree half aswide as it is tall. Ours is four feet (1.2m) tall and two feet (60 cm) wide andgrows about six inches (15 cm) per year.It is also planted on a dry east-facinghillside under the oak-hickory canopy.About twenty feet away, T. occidentalis‘Sherwood Moss’ has delightfully deli-cate light green foliage. It is five feet(1.5 m) tall and 30 inches (76 cm) wide,growing about six to eight inches(15–20 cm) per year.

Down on the flat about 50 feet (15m) from the lake, a weeping arborvitae,T. occidentalis ‘Pendula’ is growingslowly and forming a graceful waterfall.Wade staked it to its current height ofnine feet (2.7 m) by 26 inches (66 cm)wide. It has a three-foot (0.9 m) skirt at

8 9 3 8 N ew b u r g Ro a dRo c k f o r d , I L 6 1 1 0 8

P h o n e : ( 8 1 5) 3 3 2 - 5 6 1 0Fax : ( 8 1 5) 3 3 2 -7 4 9 5

E - m a i l : s c i a d o p i t y @ m s n . c o m

the base. The soil there is predomi-nately muck and the ground water istwo feet (60 cm) below the soil surface.Growing in the same muck 50 feet (15m) away and 20 feet (6 m) from thelakeshore are two T. standishii x plicata‘Green Giant.’ They were originallypurchased by mail order from ForestFarms as 10-inch (25-cm) bare rootplants, and now they are 16 feet (4.8 m)tall and five to six feet (approx. 1.5 m)wide at six years old.

This spring Wade cut down our T.plicata ‘Zebrina.’ It was 15 feet (4.5 m)tall and almost as wide. It has winter-



burned so severely for the last four tofive years that the new spring growthcould not restore its appearance.

The last notable plant is our T. occi-dentalis ‘Spiralis.’ We love the foliage,which is reminiscent of Chamaecyparisobtusa ‘Fernspray.’ It is growing in avery hot dry site in sandy-rocky soil andlooks quite lovely. It is almost seven feet(2 m) tall and 30 inches (76 cm) wide

and grew 16 inches (40 cm) this year. Although we live in the heart of a

large state recreational area and the deerare plentiful, so far none of our arborvi-tae have been browsed by deer. We alsohave several unique Taxus (yew), whichhave not yet suffered any deer damage.

Please send any information about T.occidentalis ‘Hood River Cemetery’ [email protected].

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The above 3 pictures were taken atthe National Arboretum inWashington D.C. in August of 2001.When planted in the fall of 1998,they were 3 feet tall and planted on 61/2 foot centers. They grew 3 feet inthe first year (1999), and are now 10-12 feet tall. It can be trimmed to anyheight or width to create the ultimatenatural or formal hedge. "The Thuja Green Giants are thetoughest, disease, insect, deer and iceresistant evergreen I have ever used. Iam 6' tall with a 6' arm span, so youcan see the height to width ratio of these trees." - Mike Shade

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The New York Botanical Garden’s Be-nenson Ornamental Conifers, knownuntil recently as the Ornamental ConiferCollection, include some of the most in-teresting and exotic specimens ofconifers in the country. They are locatedon 15 acres near the Peggy RockefellerRose Garden in the southernmost sectionof the Garden and will re-open to thepublic on Saturday, Octo-ber 30, amid a weekendof festivities.

In its largest land-scape restoration projectin more than a decade,the Garden has under-taken extensive refur-bishing to add new trees,improve the health of ex-isting specimens, andenrich the visitor’s expe-rience. According to Dr.Kim Tripp, Senior VicePresident for Horticul-ture and Living Collec-tions, “The BenensonOrnamental Conifers areunique; they include raremature trees and equallyrare cultivars of conifersfrom Europe that are nolonger available in thetrade.”

The public openingwill coincide with the fall

Members Open House. An official pres-entation will be made mid-afternoon Sat-urday and curators will lead hourly toursto introduce the public to this unique col-lection of rare trees. At the Garden’sRondina and LoFaro Gallery, a new ex-hibition opens. “Cultured Conifers: Se-lections of Rare Works from theLuEsther T. Mertz Library” will display

Grand Re-Opening of Benenson Ornamental Conifersfrom the New York Botanical Garden

Largest landscape renovation in a decade to open amid Fall festivities

Sara Ced

ar Miller / C

ourtesy of NYBG

Sara Ced

ar Miller / C

ourtesy of NYBG



botanical prints and books that illustratethe rich variety of conifers and theirmany uses. (See sidebar at right.)

New Trees, Irrigation System,Stone Pavilions For the past three years, the Garden’sDirector of Living Collections and Se-nior Curator of Trees and Shrubs, ToddForrest, has scoured nurseries, researchfields, and plant collections from Con-necticut to Oregon, searching for rareand beautiful specimens for the collec-tion. Forrest’s goal is to display as widea range of cultivated conifers as possi-ble: everything from the monkey puzzletree and weeping giant sequoia to clas-sic cultivated forms such as ‘SilverCurls’ fir and ‘Blue Star’ juniper. Ap-proximately 250 new conifers have beenadded, including as-yet-unnamed dwarfwhite pines from the research nursery oflegendary plantsman Sidney Waxman,professor emeritus at the University ofConnecticut.

Another major undertaking involvedbolstering the health of existing treesthrough systematic mulching, fertilizing,and remedial pruning to improve grow-ing conditions and reinvigorate olderplants. In addition, dense plantings wereadded to screen and absorb outside noiseand the dramatic rock outcroppings inthe landscape were cleared. Additionalmassive boulders have been positionedto create new beds for the display ofdwarf conifers. A stone and wood pavil-ion, perched atop a rock outcrop, gives adramatic new view over mature andnewly planted conifers. Interpretativesigns describing the history of the col-lection and its additions have been added

Cultured Conifers:Selections of Rare Worksfrom the LuEsther T.Mertz Library

This Fall, conifers take center stagein “Cultured Conifers,” an exhibi-tion drawn from the collections ofbotanical illustrations and books inthe LuEsther T. Mertz Library.

The exhibition will illuminatethe diversity of conifers as well asthe many roles of conifers in theirnatural habitats and in their uses byhuman beings, from culinary tomedicinal, economic, landscape,and horticultural. It will be on dis-play in the William D. Rondina andGiovanni Foroni LoFaro Galleryfrom October 30, 2004 to January30, 2005.

Cultured Conifers is organizedaround several themes. One group-ing shows works that clarify thecharacteristics of conifers, of whatmakes a conifer a “conifer.” A sec-ond grouping shows conifers intheir ecosystems and the interac-tions with other living things thatare dependent on conifers. For ex-ample, the rufus hummingbird,which was discovered by CaptainCook, lives in a coniferous forestwhen it migrates to Alaska. A thirdgroup focuses on superlatives, theconiferous world’s own book ofrecords. The most massive, thetallest, and the oldest trees in theworld are all conifers.

(continued on page 28)(continued on page 29)



and new tram and pedestrian paths in-stalled to improve access.

The natural beauty of the area is en-hanced by new bluestone paving insidethe gateway plaza and pavilions. Illumi-nation of the collection’s entrance andplaza enables this area to be used forspecial events at night. Finally, to facili-tate the future care of the collection, anew irrigation system was introduced,drainage systems upgraded, and addi-tional power sources installed.

Trees Both Ancient and CurrentConifers are an ancient group of plantsthat evolved over the last 300 millionyears into more than 600 differentspecies. Many are treasured as ornamen-tals around the world. In 35 years ofworld travel, a famous collector, ColonelRobert H. Montgomery, amassed a col-lection of indigenous and exotic conifersfor his estate in Cos Cob, Connecticut.He began donating specimens to TheNew York Botanical Garden in the 1930sand ‘40s. This is the only known com-prehensive set of dwarf and specialtyconifers from R. H. Montgomery.

About 50 years ago, renowned land-scape architect Marian Cruger Coffin,who designed the Winterthur Museumgrounds in Delaware, was retained toarrange the conifers artfully in the Gar-den. The collection was dedicated onMay 26, 1949, with the planting of adwarf Colorado spruce donated to theGarden by Colonel Montgomery andnamed for him (Picea pungens ‘R.H.Montgomery’). It still stands today.

The Benenson Ornamental Conifersconsist of approximately 440 conifers,including 70 donated by Montgomery.They complement the pine, fir, and

spruce collections in the Ross ConiferArboretum near the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory.

Benenson Ornamental Conifer speci-mens range in size from 5 to 85 feet(1.5–25 m) tall. Highlights include an‘R. H. Montgomery’ dwarf blue sprucethat is nearly 100 years old and the par-ent of all such plants that are now in thenursery trade; a group of prehistoricdawn redwoods from China, a speciesthought to be extinct until they were re-discovered in a remote Chinese valley inthe 1940s; and a rare reproducing pair ofJapanese torreya, which are highly en-dangered in the wild. Echoing the 1949dedication, the opening ceremonylaunching the restoration of the collec-tion in 2001 was also marked by theplanting of a blue conifer, a blue Arizonacypress (Cupressus glabra ‘Blue Ice’).

Patrick Chassé of Landscape DesignAssociates, Bar Harbor, Maine, re-searched the historic design and archi-tectural elements for the restoration. Thelandscape architects were Shavaun Tow-ers and Joe Payne of Towers/Golde,New Haven, Connecticut, and the civilengineer Frank Vultaggio of Wohl &O’Mara, Staten Island, New York.Yonkers Contracting Company, Inc.,provided boulders used in the creationof the new dwarf conifer beds.

The restoration of the Benenson Or-namental Conifers was made possibleby Mr. and Mrs. James Benenson, Jr.

The New York Botanical Garden is amuseum of plants located at BronxRiver Parkway (Exit 7W) and FordhamRoad in the Bronx. For information call718. 817. 8700 or visit our Web site atwww.nybg.org. ▲



Another theme is the role ofconifers in history. The exhibition in-cludes a royal decree by the Queen ofEngland in 1710, proclaiming that all“white and other pine-trees growingin Her Majesties Colonies” belongedto the crown, for the purpose of “themasting of Her Majesties Navy.”

Cultured Conifers includes ex-amples of many other uses ofconifers. Early illustrations of forestmanagement show how resin was ex-tracted from balsam firs and howcharcoal was produced from coniferwood. A lithograph of Pinus pinea L.illustrates the source of pine nuts forculinary use. Illustrations of the hor-ticultural use of conifers includegrand vistas of formal parterres andestate gardens.

The Mertz Library, established in1899, houses one of the world’s mostimportant plant science research col-lections of published and archivaldocuments tracing the developmentof botany and horticulture from the12th century to the present. “CulturedConifers” is open daily from 10 a.m.to 5 p.m. Admission is free with Gar-den admission. Exhibitions in theMertz Library are made possible bythe LuEsther T. Mertz CharitableTrust, William D. Rondina and theCarlisle Collection, and The KurtBerliner Foundation.

Top: “Picea bracteata,” now named “Abies bracteata.” Hand-colored lithographby William Richardson.

Bottom: “Pinus spectabilis,” now named “Abies webbiana.” Hand-coloredengraving by James Sowerby (1757-1822).

(continued from page 27)

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30 THE CONIFER SOCIETY Vol. 21 No. 4

C-o-n-i-f-e-r Word Game Winner

AnnouncedIn the last episode (Winter 2004), youfound the Conifer Detective trying to“find my own roots” – the reasons I be-came a plant problem-solver. Then inthe Summer issue, I invited you to playalong and send in your own sentencesusing the letters c-o-n-i-f-e-r to beginthe words.

Here’s what happened next.I had just solved a small case for

my secretary and I was staring out thewindow. It was quiet and there was nobreeze. Not a needle was moving.Good time for a nap.

Just as I was about to blink for thelast time, the computer chirped bink! –a message in the inbox.

The note from Conifer Societymember Dennis Groh contained thesefour lines:

Coniferites ogling needles ignore forlorn essential rootstocks.

Cones or needles initiate fresh exuded resin.

Conifers offer naturalistic influencesfor exceptional results.

Consideration of nomenclature improves fun, evades ruin.

Nothing else was written. Were theseclues? Random statements or facts?

Days went by with nothing more.The summer came and went. It was avery busy time and I temporarily for-got my search for the meaning ofconifer. Labor Day was coming up; sowere the colchicums. Leaf season isjust around the corner.

The rainy days here are few and farbetween at this time of year. Mailbegan to stack up. E-mails, too.

One morning in late August a rarerain event occurred. I had time tocheck the mail. Lots of catalogs; lotsof conifers for sale.

The computer chirped again – bink!I looked up and 5 more acronymsstared back at me.

Tami Wagner wrote:

CONIFER PUZZLE PAGE

?

815-338-7442 (phone)815-338-7446 (fax)

[email protected]

Rare & Garden ConifersGinkgos, Beeches, Perennials

Hostas, Daylilies, Irises, Alpine Plants

Rich and Susan Eyre11618 McConnell RdWoodstock IL 60098

Rich’sFoxwillow

PinesNursery

Inc.


Vol. 21 No. 4 THE CONIFER SOCIETY 31

Conifers occur naturally, increasingfuture energy resources.

Conventions offer new introductionsfor eventual reproduction.

Chamaecyparis obtusa – numerousintroductions find everyone rejoicing.

Conifers open numerous insights forenvironmental research.

Cones occur naturally in forested eco-type regions.

Here were more good clues to help mesolve the case, and I felt good about it.The rain continued. I was happy aboutthat, too.

Then the rain stopped. Looking upthrough the conifers, I could see bluesky. I could hear the birds singing. Thesun was warm. Like discovering awitch’s broom, a euphoric feelingovercame me. The world felt like aHallmark card.

I checked my e-mail before I wenthome. Another one! Rick Haasewrote that “Conifers only naturally in-spire frequent excellent remarks.”

It’s true. That’s why so many of usappreciate conifers and why we just

love to talk about ‘em! No wondermembers seem to Congregate openly,noticing in forests evergreen residents.We are a happy bunch.

Conclusion: The word “conifer,”and the plants themselves, can meanmany things to many people. The pos-sibilities seem as endless as theseedlings from a witch’s broom.

I’m glad that fellow Conifer Soci-ety members could help solve the mys-tery by continually offering numerousinsights for (my) evergreen roots, andhaving some fun in the process. That’swhat the society is all about.

Case closed.

As promised, the winner of the Pinusbungeana ‘Rowe Arboretum’ was se-lected from those who submitted sen-tences built from the word “conifer.” Itwas tough to choose, but Rick Haasehas been selected to receive the prize.

About the author: Chris Daeger ismanager of Rowe Arboretum in Indian Hill, Ohio. He enjoys writingin the style of the old-time radio detective programs.

66 Jackson Lane, Bethlehem, CT 06751

Owners: Dennis and Mary Lou Dodge Phone/Fax 203.266.7783

www.bethlehemnursery.com [email protected]

▲



The Merit Award for Dedicated Supportof the Conifer Society recognizes thosewho have made outstanding contribu-tions to the Conifer Society throughtheir service, enthusiasm, commitmentand promotion of membership in theSociety. Also, this award acknowledgesthose who have been deeply involved in the activities of the Conifer Society,organizationally or otherwise.

For his long and valuable volunteer serv-ice, we recognize with this merit awardMarvin Snyder. And Emelie, withoutyour significant assistance, involvementand support, I am quite certain Marvinwouldn’t be getting this award.

Marvin Snyder has clearly estab-lished himself as the role model of vol-unteer service to the Conifer Society. Hejoined the Conifer Society in the early1990’s and attended his first regionalmeeting in 1994. During that meeting,

Chub Harper asked for volunteers; Mar-vin stepped forward and since then hehas not stepped back or sat down untilthis 2004 National meeting.

Actually, in 1994 Chub was askingfor individuals to be State Representa-tives and Marvin said he would be theRepresentative for Kansas, but only if hecould also include western Missouri, be-cause Marvin knew there was a pocketof potential new members in that area.Marvin was then approached to run forthe Board of Directors. He did and waselected to the Board in 1995. In thatsame year, Marvin wrote his first articlefor the then-ACS Bulletin.

Once on the Board, Marvin agreed toserve as the National Secretary and waselected by the Board. Marvin was electedto National Secretary a total of four timesand served with three different ConiferSociety Presidents. Marvin agreed to serveas president and was elected by the Board

as the 10th Presidentof the Conifer Soci-ety. Marvin served asPresident for threeyears (1999-2001).He then served as

Marvin Snyder Recognized for Dedicated Support

Marvin and EmelieSnyder accept theAward of Merit fromoutgoing nationalpresident, DennisGroh.

(continued on page 34)



The criteria for The Merit Award forDevelopment in the Field of Conifersinclude the collecting and displaying ofconifers, willingness to share knowledgeof plants, and enthusiasm and drive todiscover and develop noteworthy culti-vars. Also taken into consideration arepublished articles, books or texts aswell as new or improved propagationtechniques and designs for the use ofconifers.

Thanks, Don Howse;you and your commit-tee of former MeritAward winners do anoutstanding job everyyear behind the scenes.The Conifer Society ap-preciates your volun-teer leadership. Thisyear, the Award is alaser engraved itemmade from incensecedar and alder wood.

As the President ofthe Conifer Society, Ihave the privilege to an-nounce that the winnerof this award for 2004is J.R.P. van Hoey Smith. And Riet, yourpatience and support for Dick overmany years contributed to his ability toearn this award.

Dick van Hoey Smith, from hishome in the Netherlands, has shared hiscontagious enthusiasm for plants withthe world for many years. If you reviewhis publications and plant collections, it

is easy to see his love of plants extendsto both herbaceous (succulents andhostas) and woody plants (oaks,beeches, maples, hollies, rhododendronsand conifers). Of course, our Society isrecognizing his impressive efforts in thearea of conifers with our award today.

Dick is fond of quoting sayings atthe appropriate moment and a few of hisfavorites are:“If you want something done, give it to

a busy man.”

“The more you know, the more you re-alize how little you know.”

“If you want to keep a plant, give itaway.”

Award for Development in the Field ofConifers Presented to J.R.P. van Hoey Smith

Newly-elected national president DonWild presents the Award of Merit to J.R.P. van Hoey Smith during theDutch Conifer Society’s visit to the U.S.in August.



past-president for two additional years sohe could continue to share his wisdom andexperience with the Board and ensure anorderly transition of office.

In summary, Marvin Snyder hasmade a significant and selfless contribu-tion of his personal time, energy and tal-

ent to the Conifer Society for 10consecutive years, which I am certainwould not have been possible withoutEmelie’s support and patience. Whenyou consider that the Society was onlyfounded 21 years ago, it becomes evenclearer just how significant a contributorMarvin has been to this organization.Marvin’s nine consecutive years as anofficer easily make him our Society’slongest serving officer.

During his time of service, the Society

has grown in size and reputation. Marvinhired two editors and an office managerand encouraged improvements and inno-vation in the Conifer Quarterly and theNational Office. He has documented thePolicies and Procedures of the Board, atime-consuming but essential effort tosupport proper Board operation. Marvinhas championed the Web site and ConiferDatabase development work of BillBarger. Marvin also championed the 20-year indexing of all the articles in the Bul-letin and the Conifer Quarterly.

On behalf of the Merit Award Com-mittee chaired by Don House; the Offi-cers; the Board; and the membership;please accept this award and our sincerethanks for all you have done and for thesacrifices that you and Emelie have bothmade. Congratulations, Marvin.

In recognition of their significantcontributions and sacrifices over manyyears, the Conifer Society Board of Di-rectors voted to rename this Award to becalled the Marvin and Emelie SnyderMerit Award.

– Dennis Groh, from the award presen-tation at the national meeting in Ohio.


Marvin’s nine consecutiveyears as an officer easilymake him our Society’slongest serving officer.



These sayings offer some insightinto Dick’s life long efforts.

Dick has been interested in plantssince he was a young boy and still cher-ishes the succulent his grandmothergave to him well over 70 years ago. Cir-cumstances caused Dick to become aship broker/owner who was still able tomaintain an avocation for plants; how-ever, the avocation eventually got out ofcontrol. Since then, Dick has been avery busy man, traveling around theworld in an effort to know more. He hasbeen collecting, preserving, developing,documenting, and photographing. Dur-ing this time Dick has been generouswith his growing knowledge, his photo-graphs and his plants.

“Every cloud has a silver lining.”When Dutch elm disease required theremoval of approximately 400 elmsfrom the Rotterdam family estate in the1920’s, an opportunity arose for a newdiversity of plantings by the van HoeySmith family in what would eventuallybecome the world famous TrompenburgArboretum. The plantings included a

new pinetum, which has over time beensubstantially expanded by Dick into anaesthetically pleasing, well-labeled pub-lic collection of conifers from aroundthe globe.

The International Dendrology Soci-ety recognized this arboretum, whichhas been nurtured by five generations ofthe van Hoey Smith family, in 1983 forits plant collections and its conservationand distribution of rare and endangeredplants. Dick has also been recognizedfor his efforts. He was awarded the Sil-ver Doorenbos Medal in 1981 by theDutch Dendrology Society and the GoldVeitch Memorial Medal in 1984 by theRoyal Horticultural Society.

Dick has authored or co-authored atleast nine major books during the period1986-2003, and of those, four were onconifers. The 1996 publication, Conifers:The Illustrated Encyclopedia, was an es-pecially significant work. The two-vol-ume set provided conifer information notreadily found elsewhere. It was extensivein its coverage of conifers, introducedequivalent hardiness maps for Europe,China and North America, and providedexcellent color photographic documenta-tion of species and cultivars.

Dick was responsible for most of theconifer photographs in the encyclope-dia, as plant photography has also be-come a passion of his. During his travelsaround the globe taking pictures, hiswife Riet has ably assisted Dick. Shecarefully records in a notebook key doc-umentation supporting each photo. Rietalso helps Dick as they carefully handmount each photographic image be-tween glass to ensure a high quality,long-life slide. Dick has carefully cata-loged the slide library in a logbook,

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ennis Groh

Iseli Grant Recipient Announced

Illinois Central College Arboretum inEast Peoria, Illinois, has been selectedto receive the 2004 Jean Iseli MemorialGrant.

According to Glenn Herold, profes-sor at Illinois Central College:

“The money received from theIseli Award will be used to updateand complete the labeling for ourcollection of nearly 300 conifertaxa, and for the development andprinting of interpretive brochuresfor this collection. I have been ap-proved for a sabbatical in thespring of 2005 and intend to makethis project one of my main ac-complishment tasks.

“The arboretum is being usedextensively, not just by students,but by area garden clubs, plant so-cieties, and the public as a whole.The Jean Iseli Award will go a longway toward making the gardens ashowplace for conifers in CentralIllinois.”

The Conifer Society, which supportsthe development, conservation andpropagation of conifers with an emphasis on dwarf or unusual varieties, awards a $1,000 grant to apublic garden, arboretum or horticul-tural institution. The award was established in 1986 in honor of thememory of plantsman Jean Iseli ofBoring, Oregon. Jean Iseli was an ACSFounder and conifer propagator.

which has grown since 1955 to wellover 60,000 slide entries. Theseproperly documented slides servean important educational purpose toprovide correctly identified plantimages for many publications. Dickalso uses them when he lectures.

Dick has contributed several ar-ticles to the ACS Bulletin andConifer Society Quarterly over theyears. In fact, his photographs havebeen used in articles and featuredon the publications’ covers. Dickalso was the driving force behindthe recent Conifer Society tour toGermany and the Netherlands.

We are all fortunate that Dutchelm disease caused this marvelouschain of events, which gave us thefruits of labor from a busy, knowl-edgeable, and generous plant lover’slife. Thank you, Dick.

– Don Wild, from the award presentation during the DutchConifer Society’s visit to Oregon.

Dennis Groh and J.R.P. van HoeySmith at the TrompenburgArboretum.



Pareidolia is the psychological term forthe mind's ability to perceive meaning-ful patterns and shapes in somethingthat is otherwise meaningless. The Manin the Moon is a classic example. Prob-ably no plant inspires pareidolic experi-ences quite like the weeping Norwayspruce. Recently we were enjoying atour of Ridge Goodwin's nursery when Ispotted a weeping spruce that – from acertain angle – looked to me exactly likea gigantic praying mantis poised tostrike. From other angles it didn’t looklike anything in particular.

A decidedly more dramatically-shaped weeping spruce was fea-tured in an article in MichiganState University’s State News. Thespruce resides on a hilltop at Hid-den Lake Gardens, which is ownedby the University. (The garden is inTipton about 70 miles south ofMSU's main campus and was thebeneficiary of over 500 conifersdonated by Chub Harper in 1981.)The weeping spruce has beenchristened by Chub as “The Angelof Hidden Lake Gardens.” Chubstarted calling it the “angel” fol-lowing an experience he sharedwith Dennis Groh on the solemnoccasion when they gathered toscatter the ashes of Chub’s wifeAnna (who died in April) at thebase of her favorite tree, anotherform of weeping spruce in the samegarden. Dennis reported feeling atap on his shoulder and, upon turn-

ing around, perceived the spruce asbeing transformed into an angel withwings and a halo.

Dennis believes that the vision mayhave been a sign from Anna Harper,who had a special gift for identifyingshapes in the trees. For example, Chubreported that Anna could see an elephantcomplete with ears and a trunk in her fa-vorite weeping spruce. If Anna were try-ing to reach across, what better way thanfor her to inspire the vision of an angel,who, as Chub believes, now standsguard over Hidden Lake.

– Tony Green

Conifers in the News:The Angel of Hidden Lake Gardens

Dennis G

roh

01-48 10/11/04 4:16 PM Page 37


This year’s national meeting in Newark,Ohio, was different from past meetingsin more ways than one. On a personalnote, my wife, Suzanne, attended themeeting with me. This was her first andI thought that perhaps we could writesomething together including each ofour perspectives. So I asked what she re-

membered and she replied, “Blah blahblah … You bought a daylily at theconifer auction ... blah blah blah.” Need-less to say, she does not quite share mypassion for conifers!

On Wednesday we arrived with ourguests from England in tow. Lynne Rut-ter and Stephen Grubb attended themeeting in Portland, Oregon, five yearsago and we became friends. They cameto Ohio this year both to visit with myfamily and to attend the national meet-ing. Stephen is a founding member ofthe British Conifer Society and theircurrent Treasurer.

The events began on Thursday

All Eyes on OhioNational meeting breaks attendance record

by Bill Barger

The Dawes Arboretum graciouslyhosted the national meeting, whereattendees got a close look at therecently expanded conifer collection.

Larry Stanley

Photos by D

ennis Groh excep

t where noted.


evening with registration. This is possi-bly my favorite part of the meeting, see-ing friends I had not seen for a year ormore. While we were all catching up,we roamed around the room droolingover all the gems showing up for theauctions. Over 400 plants came in withvery few duplicates. Plants varied fromminiature junipers to large pines to onedaylily (now part of my collection).

During the evening, Larry Stanleygave a presentation about new conifercultivars that included many of the plantsthat were going to be in the next night’sauction, further building the anticipation.Several other members presented ConiferSketches (short presentations about aconifer-related topic) that continuedthrough the evening.

On Friday morning after a quickbreakfast and meeting officiated by newnational president Don Wild, everyoneboarded the buses to spend the day atDawes Arboretum where many tours anddemos were scheduled. I stayed behindto meet with state plant inspectors to in-sure that we were doing everything pos-sible to insure that our auction would notcause any harm by spreading pests. The

Inspector arrived, proceeded with the in-spection, and gave all of the plants aclean bill of health. To top it off, he wasso taken with the diversity of plant mate-rial that he asked for a membership form.

Once I arrived at Dawes and caughtup with the rest of the group, I could notbelieve how much the Conifer Collec-tion has changed over the past fewyears. I live within 100 miles of Dawesso I get to see it fairly regularly. RichLarson, Jeff Bowman and the rest of thestaff at Dawes had done a remarkablejob of making the Conifer Collection“world class.” The beds were allmulched with pine needles and I cannotremember seeing a single plant that wasnot clearly identified. I saw Ed Has-selkus conducting a walking tour of theconifer collection, a large group ofmembers following him and jockeyingfor the best place to hear his every word.Strolling to the opposite side of thestream, I saw a group watching a demo


Ann and Ted Schnormeier have createda garden where everyone could find aplace to relax and reflect.

Meeting co-chairs Rich Larson (left) andBill Barger.



about the Digital Mapping System thatDawes uses to keep records of its plantlocations. There were also tours of thepropagation house.

Shortly after lunch, we left for CherryValley Lodge and the Keynote speakers’presentations – Dave Shetlar on insectpests and Jim Chatfield on fungus. I actu-ally won a prize during Dave’s presenta-tion. He asked who knew whatphrenology is (the study of outline ofskull giving supposed indication of men-tal ability and characteristics.). I actuallyknew the answer, but only because it was

the punch line in a joke. Both presenta-tions were very informative, and DaveShetlar’s presentation is available onlineat http://bugs.osu.edu/~bugdoc/. The restof the night was dedicated to the banquet,Merit Award presentations, and plantauctions. In all over $20,000 was raisedat the auctions, a new auction record.Thank you to all that participated!

Saturday morning we again hadbreakfast and a short meeting. Then wewere off to the day’s events. Two buseswent to the home of Russ and DonnaFling and two went to the home of Ted

and Ann Schnormeier. The Flings have created a

wonderful private garden thatany collector would be proud tohave. They had done a fantasticjob of creating varying viewsand “rooms.” My visit there wasa visit of discovery. EverywhereI turned there was somethingnew to look at. I had an opportu-nity to visit Russ a few weeksprior to the meeting and I was

Above: Dr. Ed Hasselkus(left) and Dr. Harrison Flintwere honored during thededication of EducatorsGrove at the DawesArboretum.

Right: The Schnormeiers’garden featured lakes and

sculptures designedaround an Oriental theme.

Maud

Henne



amazed to learn how much I had missedthe first time. All the plants were clearlymarked and tastefully presented and insome cases they had tried to optimizegrowing conditions to insure that thespecimens would thrive.

Next we were off to the home of Tedand Ann Schnormeier. The couple’s gar-den is not a collection garden, but ratherit was created to enhance peace, har-mony, and serenity. Everywhere therewas the soothing sound of runningwater. The gardens covered fifty acreswith ten lakes and several intimate gar-dens. The home was adjacent to thelargest of the lakes. Additionally therewere several oriental themed buildingsthat were peaceful and serene. Manymembers found places to sit at the build-ings and enjoy the scenery. Sculptureshad been installed at several locationsaround the property as well. There wereplenty of conifers, too. Most of theplants were clearly marked. While notintended to be a collector’s garden therewas a good collection there to enjoy.

Lunch was hosted at the Schnor-meier’s home, where I especially en-joyed a copy of a journal that Ted hadprepared and left on the tables for us toread. In it they had documented eventsabout the gardens. I was only able toread a small portion in the time we hadbut I thoroughly enjoyed it. I would en-courage everyone to create a journalwhen they begin to develop a garden andmaintain it as the garden evolves.

That evening we returned to Dawesfor a barbeque. Before dinner, we wereinvited to a dedication ceremony for Ed-ucators Grove just behind the Visitor’s

Center at Dawes. Both Dr. HarrisonFlint and Dr. Ed Hasselkus were presentand honored at the dedication. Duringthe barbeque, we all had an opportunityto visit with both our old friends and ournew friends one last time before we saidgoodbye for another year.

All in all the 2004 National Meetingwas a great success with record atten-dance, record auction proceeds, a greathotel, great tour desinations, and won-derful people. By the way, my wife didadmit that she had a fantastic time andthat she is already looking toward thenext meeting. I hope she will considerbidding on a conifer next time.

Finally there are some people thatneed to be recognized. Rich Larson andI were co-chairs of the event, whichmeant we had the responsibility formaking the meeting a success. We couldnot have done this without the help ofthe volunteers. Terri Park was the Volun-teer Coordinator, and I don’t ever re-member having such a great group ofvolunteers, including the staff at Dawes.Without your help we could not havehad such a great event.

John Martin deserves a mention aswell. John is the Conifer Society Na-tional Office and he handles the salesonce the auctions are completed, oftenmissing the dinner while the rest of usfeast. Larry Stanley and Don Howsewere the auctioneers and, as always,kept things moving along and entertain-ing. Thanks to all who planned, volun-teered and attended. See you again nextyear! ▲



Like the refreshing summer breeze I feelas I write this, 25 members of the DutchConifer Society blew through our regionduring the second week of August. Andlike the sunshine, their intensity andwarmth energized those of us who werefortunate to travel with them. Most ofthe visitors were from the Netherlands,but Germany and Austria were also rep-resented.

After landing in Seattle, on Wednes-day, August 11th, the group was met byDianne Fincham of Coenosium Gardensin Eatonville. They boarded a bus andvisited South Seattle Community Collegewhere Bob Fincham greeted them. Aftera box lunch in the arboretum’s gazebo,they toured the arboretum and its mainpoint of interest, the Coenosium RockGarden, which contains over 400 dwarfconifers. This one-third-acre garden hasbeen donated by Dianne and Bob Fin-cham. In the evening, Dianne and a friendcooked and served a four-course dinner atthe group’s Eatonville motel.

The next day, the guests visitedCoenosium Gardens, which the Fin-chams have developed into quite anamazing site since moving there eightyears ago. Our national president DonWild and his wife, Harriet, spent the daywith the group, as did immediate past-president Dennis Groh and his wife, Ca-role. At the Roxy Theater in Eatonville,Bob presented his digital photographicpresentation about the history of Ameri-can conifer collecting, and then the Eu-ropean travelers enjoyed lunch and agarden tour back at the nursery. In theevening everyone was treated to a tasteof the Old West with grilled hot dogsand hamburgers prepared over a woodfire. Dessert included toasted marshmal-lows, some of which were eaten with aknife and fork! Later in the evening,some of the Dutchmen visited a localtavern where one of them even sangwith the band.

Friday the tour boarded the coachand traveled south along Interstate 5. The

Dutch Conifer Society Tours West CoastBy Don Howse

Photos by D

ennis Groh



Wilds and the Grohs went on ahead intheir own vehicle to the first plannedstop at Collector’s Nursery in BattleGround, Washington. Meanwhile, thecoach passengers persuaded their driver,Donald, to make a detour around Mt. St.Helens, thinking it would only take anhour or so. In fact, the detour addednearly five hours to the expected two-hour trip. As Don and Dennis waitedanxiously with Diana Reeck and BillJanssen of Collector’s Nursery, they be-came concerned and contactedthe Washington State Police toask about any possible mishapsalong the highway. Because ofthe remoteness of the area, thecoach was without phone con-tact until late in the afternoon.When they finally arrived atCollector’s Nursery at aboutfive o’clock in the afternoon,they enthusiastically describedtheir wonderful drive throughthe scenic Mt. St. Helens Vol-canic National Monument.

Despite their late arrival, they en-joyed a pleasant visit to the beautiful,conifer-filled gardens at Collector’sNursery before departing for the Resortat the Mountain in Welches, Oregon(also the site of the Conifer Society’s1999 National Meeting). A buffet dinnerat the hotel capped off a long day.

On Saturday, the group traveled toIseli Nursery in Boring, Oregon. Thestaff, led by Greg Pilcher, Jock Demme,and Paul Halladin, greeted them and ledthem to the gardens surrounding the of-fice building. The gardens are extensiveand well manicured, and the plants areclearly identified. Hugh Ferrar proudlyshowed the recently-installed rock gar-

den and scree that he had helped to cre-ate. Many miniature and dwarf conifersare displayed in this area.

Joe Harris conducted a bonsaidemonstration for the visitors, using aPinus parviflora. The membership ofthe Western Region of the Conifer Soci-ety was also invited to attend, and 108members and guests gladly accepted theinvitation. The gardens were impeccablymaintained and a real treat to see. IseliNursery provided a western-style barbe-

cue, and we all piled our plates high fora delectable lunch under a shady tent.

After lunch, national president DonWild presented the Award of Merit forDevelopment in the Field of GardenConifers to Dick van Hoey Smith of theNetherlands. A roaring cheer arose fromthe crowd at the announcement, as weall knew that the winner is most deserv-ing. Speeches and gratuities followed.During the afternoon we boarded thenursery’s vans for tours of the facilities,and everyone seemed to enjoy the day.

Sunday morning, August 15, our vis-itors boarded the coach early for the

Don Howse (left) with Dick van HoeySmith.

01-48 10/11/04 4:18 PM Page 43


two-hour trek to Gaston, Oregon, to visitBuchholz Nursery. Rita Oster and Iserved as bus hosts and pointed out in-teresting features along the way, includ-ing many native trees and other plants.Our Dutch visitors learned a thing ortwo about Oregon history as well.

Talon Buchholz and his staff greetedus warmly at the nursery and led us on atour of the gardens and facilities. Theplants on display at Buchholz Nurseryare extremely well presented. Talon’swife, Haruko, and their daughter joinedus for a wonderful lunch in the pavilionadjoining his irrigation pond.

Next, Talon joined us on the coachand we went to the City of Forest Grove,where very old and large specimens ofSequoiadendron giganteum grow. Wealso observed similar plants in front ofthe Catholic Church in the tiny Dutchcommunity of Verboort, Oregon. Later,the coach took us to Washington Parkthe famous Japanese Gardens in Port-land for guided tours.

Breakfast was served Monday morn-ing in the garden pavilion at Porter-howse Farms, followed by tours of thegardens and arboretum. I was veryproud to show off my col-lection of conifers andother plants to this distin-guished group. We boardedthe coach and headed outfor a day of sightseeing thatincluded the ColumbiaRiver Gorge Scenic Area,with stops at Multnomah

Falls (600+ feet high), and the Bon-neville Dam Fish Hatchery (with largespecimens of Salmon, Trout, and Stur-geon in display ponds). We notedchanges in the native forest habitat aswe drove into more arid regions.

We saw wind surfers on the river aswe headed up into the Hood River Val-ley, a well-known area of fruit orchards.We stopped during the hot afternoon at afruit stand for refreshments and to pur-chase some of the local fruit. At the headof the valley is the snow covered Mt.Hood, which we encircled during ourtravels that day. We again noted thechanging forest, and the many coniferspecies found in the Mt. Hood NationalForest. On the southeast side of themountain, we visited Trillium Lake,which offered great photo opportunitiesas well a chance to peruse the forestfloor for notable native plants. We thenfollowed the road to Timberline Lodgewhere we could hike on alpine trails, ob-serve wildflowers, relax at the lodge, orvisit remnant groves of Pinus albicaulis(whitebark pine), Abies procera (noblefir), Picea englemannii (Engelmannspruce) and Tsuga mertensiana (moun-

Talon Buchholz (left)stands with Riet and

Dick van Hoey Smith.

01-48 10/11/04 4:19 PM Page 44


tain hemlock) at timberline. We completed our day-long tour

around the mountain with a fine dinnerat the Rendezvous Grill in Welches,where we were joined by Don and Har-riet Wild, Dennis and Carole Groh, Ritaand Randy Oster, Bill Caldwell ofTexas, and Lloyd Porter. The Grohs andWilds bid us farewell, as they were fly-ing home to Michigan in the morning.Our guests from Holland were in a fes-tive mood and even broke into song laterin the evening.

Tuesday morning, after breakfast atthe hotel, we boarded the coach anddrove south to Silverton, Oregon, tovisit the Oregon Garden. Head gardenerAl Shay and his team, including newConifer Society member Sue Irick,greeted us warmly and led us on a tourof the gardens that focused on theconifer collection. Larry Stanley thenhosted us to a nice lunch on the patio atthe visitor’s center. The Oregon Gardenis relatively new, having been conceivedby the members of the Oregon Associa-tion of Nurseries and built by their ef-forts and will. In four short years, it isalready an amazing display of plant ma-terial and related art.

The coach then carried us to LarryStanley’s nursery, Stanley & Sons, inBoring, Oregon. We were greeted byLarry, his wife Marlene, their son anddaughter Steven and Tara, plus otherfriends and staff. Larry led a tour of hisremarkable gardens and conifer collec-tion, entertaining us with his humor allalong the way. When we returned to ourstarting point, we found tables on thelawn set with colorful cloths and dinner-ware, wait staff prepared to serve us,Larry’s brother Jim behind a bar serving

gin and tonics, and a wonderful eveningahead. Our memorable dinner was spon-sored jointly by Stanley & Sons andLoen and Noralee Panke of RedwoodLane Nursery. The delicious feast in-cluded Dungeness crab cocktails,spinach salads with pine nuts, entrees ofmarinated lobster tail and prime rib withall the proper accoutrements, fine wineand beer, Brut and Asti champagnes,and New York cheesecake with freshberries. This was the perfect setting tocelebrate our mutual friendships and in-terests. Our Dutch guests entertained uswith song once again, continuing all theway back to the hotel!

I was pleased to meet many old andnew friends during the Dutch Conifer So-ciety’s brief visit to the Pacific Northwestduring that warm and dry week in Au-gust. Any language barrier was toppledwith the help of Dick and Riet van HoeySmith’s daughters, Maike and Joan. I be-lieve the only disappointments camewhen our guests were told to take a breakto rest, since they wanted to continue ontouring each site we visited. Their thirstfor knowledge of conifers was unquench-able and their understanding vast. Theyseemed to thoroughly enjoy their visit.

On Wednesday, August 18th, theyrode their coach to the Portland Interna-tional Airport and boarded a flight toDenver to join our good friend JerryMorris for an adventure in the Coloradomountains. Although exhausted, I re-gretted seeing their adventure in Oregoncome to an end.

About the author: Don Howse is a long-time active member of the Conifer Soci-ety and owner of Porterhowse Farms inSandy, Oregon.

▲

01-48 10/11/04 4:19 PM Page 45


2004 Conifer Quarterly Advertising RatesDimensions Cost Cost per 4 issues

Ad Type (W x H) per issue (10% discount)

Full page 5 x 7-7/8 in. $195 $702Half page horizontal 5 x 3-7/8 in. $135 $486

Half page vertical 2-3/8 x 7-7/8 in. $135 $486Quarter page horizontal 5 x 1-7/8 in. $85 $306

Quarter page vertical 2-3/8 x 3-7/8 in. $85 $306Eighth page 2-3/8 x 1-7/8 in. $55 $198

Submit inquiries, ad material and payments to:

Anne Brennan, Conifer Quarterly Advertising

145 Cedar St., Jenkintown, PA 19046 • PH (215) 376-0231

FAX (215) 827-5926 • E-mail: [email protected]

The Conifer Society welcomes advertising from companies and individuals selling conifers,companion plants, gardening supplies and other plant-related products and services.

A Grafting Workshop will be held

in the Central Region on

January 22, 2005 from 10:00 AM

to 3:00 PM at GEE FARMS,

Stockbridge, Michigan.

For information and reservations,

contact Charlene Harris at (734)

433-9773 or [email protected].

The Southeast Region announces that the the following members tookoffice during the region’s meeting on October 8th & 9th:

President . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Maud B. Henne (Virginia)Vice President . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Kimberly Karlin (Georgia)Secretary/Treasurer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .John Quackenbush (Georgia)

Karen & Mark Priebe

Toll Free 877-779-5715Fax 610-779-0555E-mail: [email protected]

• RARE AND UNUSUAL PLANTS• EXOTIC CONIFERS

610-779-571729 Klappenthal Road

Reading, PA 19606

WOLF-RUNNURSERY

LANDSCAPES

wolfrunnursery.com

THE ENHANCEMENT OFNATURE’S DEFINITIVE SPACES



Northeast Launches Newsletter,Emphasizes Local Eventsby Ridge Goodwin, Northeast Region past president

We have been searching for opportuni-ties to bring our membership togethermore frequently to exchange knowledgeand share our appreciation of the use ofconifers in our gardens. One of the mosteffective schemes appears to be in this

concept called the “garden rendezvous,”or “garden ramble,” developed by theCentral Region.

We plan to find organizers in variousparts of the region who can put togetheran interesting day’s worth of visits toprivate or public gardens, which mayalso include a lecture sponsored by alocal garden club, garden center or pub-lic garden. There needn’t be a lot of fussor bother putting one of these affairs to-gether – no busses, and everyone bringstheir own lunch. We’ll meet in the morn-ing, hand out maps of where we’ll begoing, form car pools, see the gardens,talk to people, learn a little bit, maybemake a new friend, and then disbandlater on in the afternoon.

The key to organizing one of theseaffairs will be advertising it in our newnewsletter, Coniferous Contemplations,edited by Suzanne Mahoney (misue150

@aol.com). Other local garden clubs areanother source of potential attendees(after all, this is how Gary Whittenbaughof the Central Region gets so many peo-ple to sign up with the Conifer Society)because, well, we’re more interesting! Ifyou had the chance to see a garden fullof hostas, or roses or sweet peas as op-posed to a garden full of conifers, whichwould you choose? No contest!

We are also inviting members towrite for our Coniferous Contempla-tions newsletter. This is a very informalaffair that is designed to share gardeningtips, local news and information.

We are looking for state representa-tives who can scan their state’s horticul-tural press and report on coming eventsof interest to conifer people. Good pic-tures from our annual meetings, featurearticles on interesting local charactersand their collections, and tidbits abouthistoric figures and places that are partof our local conifer heritage can all finda place in the newsletter. We might evenhave an “expert” – as in “Ask the Ex-pert.” We’re not sure where we’re goingwith this endeavor, but we do know thatthis newsletter is a much needed con-nection between members in our region.

Walter Cullerton took over as ournew president at the September meetingin Rochester, NY. Welcome, Walter!

Ridge Goodwin, Past PresidentNortheast Region

Coniferous Contemplations

is a very informal affair

designed to share

gardening tips, local news

and information

01-48 10/11/04 4:23 PM Page 47


OfficersPresident Don Wild, 3058 Cross Creek Ct., Ann Arbor, MI 48108

PH (734) 662-6461, E-mail: [email protected] President/ Tom Cox, 1621 N Lake Dr., Canton, GA 30115 Treasurer PH (770) 772-9747, FAX (770) 663-4063, E-mail: [email protected] Kathleen Pottratz, 42438 SW Vandehey Rd., Gaston, OR 97119

PH (503) 985-7561, E-mail: [email protected] President Dennis Groh, 160 S. Evangeline, Dearborn Heights, MI 48125

PH (313) 561-2315, E-mail: [email protected]

DirectorsTerm expires 2005 Flo Chaffin, 3650 Colham Ferry Rd., Watkinsville, GA 30677

PH (706) 310-0143, FAX (706) 310-0562, E-mail: [email protected] Wild, (see Vice President/Treasurer above)Lester Wyman, 86 Tavern Waye, Hanson, MA 02341 PH (781) 447-3579, FAX (781) 447-3758, E-mail: [email protected]

Term expires 2006 Tom Cox, 1621 N Lake Dr., Canton, GA 30115 PH (770) 772-9747, FAX (770) 663-4063, E-mail: [email protected]

Elmer Dustman, 26 Peachtree Ln., Pittsford, NY 14534PH (585) 248-5156, E-mail: [email protected] Richards, 31 Southridge Dr., Hendersonville, NC 28739PH (828) 696-0801, E-mail: [email protected]

Term expires 2007 Ethan Johnson, 669 E331st St, Eastlake, OH 44095PH (440) 975-1675, E-mail: [email protected]

Gerald Kral, 900 Winton Rd. N, Rochester, NY 14609PH (585) 288-5082, E-mail: [email protected]

Randy Oster, 29600 SE Kowall Rd., Estacada, OR 97023PH (503) 630-7975, FAX (503) 630-7955, E-mail: [email protected]

Regional PresidentsNortheastern Region Walter Cullerton, PO Box 21, Pineville, PA 18946

PH (215) 598-1250, E-mail: [email protected] Region Gary Whittenbaugh, 625 3rd Ave. SW, Oelwein, IA 50662

PH (319) 283-3050, FAX (319) 283-4773, E-mail: [email protected] Region Horst Jeddeloh, 18535 SE Giese Rd., Gresham, OR 97080

PH (503) 667-9163Southeastern Region Maud Henne, 1670 Milton Rd., Charlottesville, VA 22902

PH (434) 296-6051, E-mail: [email protected]

Conifer Society StaffNational Office John Martin, P.O. Box 3422, Crofton, MD 21114-0422

PH (410) 721-6611, FAX (410) 721-9636, E-mail: [email protected], Anne Brennan, 145 Cedar St., Jenkintown, PA 19046Conifer Quarterly PH (215) 376-0231, FAX (215) 827-5926

E-mail: [email protected]

www.conifersociety.org

Directorate

01-48 10/11/04 4:30 PM Page 48

Top: The Dawes Arboretum hosted this summer’s national meeting inNewark, Ohio. Turn to page 38 for more photos and a meeting recap.

Bottom: The Schnormeier’s garden, with its Oriental design motif, thrilledmany national meeting attendees. Read more on page 38.

Mau

d H

enne

Mau

d H

enne


The “Angel of Hidden Lake Gardens” – a weeping Norway spruce (Picea abies‘Pendula’) – is described in this issue’s Conifers in the News on page 37.

Dennis G

roh


conifer quarterly

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