udbg friends - College of Agriculture and Natural Resources

UDBG FRIENDS
UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE BOTANIC GARDENS
March/April 2014
Favorite Plants:
Why We Like Them
by Richard W. Lighty, Ph.D.
I sat down a while ago and figured out that I had grown more
than 7,000 different plants over the 70 years I have gardened.
I killed most of them, some quickly, some over time. e
exercise set me thinking about why I wanted to grow such a
diverse assortment in the first place.
Some, like the white oak (Quercus alba), sugar maple (Acer
saccharum), Japanese maple (Acer palmatum), Buxus sinica
var. insularis ‘Justin Brouwers’, lily turf (Liriope muscari
cultivars), Epimedium grandiflorum ‘Lilafee’ or E. youngianum ‘Roseum’ and the cinnamon fern (Osmunda cinnamomea), I chose simply because they are beautiful, easy to
grow and provide a reliable green framework for the garden.
Others were for their attributes--ones that add variety and
interest to the garden, such as plants with variegated foliage,
like Polygonatum odoratum ‘Variegatum’, Aucuba japonica
‘Picturata’, Salix integra ‘Hakuro Nishiki‘, and Fuchsia
magellanica ‘Aurea’; or plants with reliable autumn color like
three-flowered maple (Acer triflorum), Japanese maple (A.
japonicum), bluestar (Amsonia hubrichtii) and winged sumac
(Rhus copallina). Fragrance was, for me, one of the defining
virtues of a plant for our garden. Lily-of-the-valley
(Convallaria majalis), wintersweet (Chimonanthus praecox
‘Luteus’ or Chimonanthus praecox) and tall garden phlox
(Phlox paniculata) bring seasonal delight into the garden.
Gardeners are a romantic lot; some might say quirky! So
plants oen get into our gardens because of their associations
cont’d on page 5
Phlox stolonifera ‘Sherwood Purple’
Image by: Rick Darke
Hydrangea serrata ‘Preziosa’
Image by Melinda Zoehrer
Top image: Cinnamon colored fertile fronds emerge on Osmunda cinnamomea
Image by Rick Darke
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Schedule of Events
To ensure a space, registration is highly recommended for all educational events. Please e-mail [email protected] to register or
phone 302–831–2531.
A major exhibitor at the Philadelphia Flower Show, Michael is also an
accredited American Orchid Society Judge who has exhibited orchids for
over 30 years. rough his company, Create a Scene in Malvern, PA,
Michael designs gardens, and with his artful partner Simple, designs
exhibits for horticultural trade shows.
MARCH
Lecture: Spring Plant Sale Preview
Wednesday, March 26, 7-8:30 pm
UDBG Friends members: $5; Nonmembers: $10
Location: e Commons, Townsend Hall
Please join Longwood Graduate Program Director Dr. Robert Lyons
and UDBG Director Dr. John Frett in a lively repartee between two
dynamic plant gurus as they describe and illustrate many of the
perennial and woody plants offered in the UDBG plant sale catalog
and at the sale. A highly respected leader in horticulture, Dr. Lyons was
former Director at the JC Raulston Arboretum and co-founder and
Director of Virginia Tech Horticulture Gardens prior to coming to
Delaware.
APRIL
Tour: Guided Walk of 2014 Spring Plant
Sale Highlights
Wednesday, April 9, 4-5:30 pm
UDBG Friends members: $5; Nonmembers: $10
Location: Meet at Fischer Greenhouse entrance.
Min: 10 people; Max: 25 people
Dr. John Frett will lead a guided walk through UDBG of plants
offered in the plant sale, and if there's time, preview the
containerized plants.
Patron Reception and Plant Sale
Friends Lecture: Tending Tender Treasures
for Totally Tropical Terraces
Tuesday, April 8, 7-8:30 pm
UDBG Friends members: FREE; Nonmembers: $10
Location: e Commons, Townsend Hall
Tropicals have become all the rage during the past decade. eir large,
lush foliage, bold architecture, vibrant colors, heavenly fragrances and
specific, though easy care, makes them a must-have for your garden.
Join garden designer Michael Bowell as he illustrates with plants how
to best use them in the garden, as well as their care, propagation,
overwintering of these choice exotics. Plants that he will cover include:
palms, Agapanthus, hibiscus, orchids, cannas, brugmansias, gardenias,
crinum lilies, begonias, coleus, citrus, tree ferns, giant aroids, and bananas as well as other flowering and fruiting trees, herbs, and epiphytes.
Wednesday, April 23, 4:30–6:00 pm
is intimate evening is a thank you to those who have contributed
$130 or more to support UDBG’s Student Program. Enjoy conversations with knowledgeable plant folks, a private plant sale, refreshments, and the first crack at all other plant offerings. If interested in
attending or for more information, please call 302–831–0153 or
email [email protected]. RSVP required
2014 Spring Plant Sale Schedule
ursday, April 24, 3-7 pm – Members Only
Friday, April 25, 3-7 pm – General Public
Saturday, April 26, 9:30 am-4 pm – General Public
e sale is located inside the fenced-in area across from Fischer
Greenhouse on the University of Delaware south campus (north of
the UD football stadium, near the UDairy Creamery).
cont’d on page 4
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Fe e d t h e w
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Rain or Shine
Free Admission
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Saturday, April 26
10 a.m.- 4 p.m.
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http://ag.udel.edu/agday
Live music, food, plant sales,
educational exhibits, animals,
tours, demonstrations, kids’
activities & much more!
Help Us Help Many:
Bring A Non-Perishable
Item to Stuff a Food
Bank of Delaware
Truck on Ag Day!
Garden Tour to Private Garden in York, Pennsylvania on Wednesday, June 18; see page for 4 for details.
Images by Rick Darke
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Schedule of Events con’t from page 2
MAY
Lecture: Ancestral Wisdom in Modern
Medicine: Plants, People, and Cultures in
the Tropical Rainforest and
Celebration of the publication of
Rodale’s 21st Century Herbal: A Practical
Guide for Healthy Living Using Nature’s
Most Powerful Plants
Monday, May 5, 7–8:30 pm
UDBG Friends members: $15; Nonmembers: $20
Location: e Commons, Townsend Hall
Join UD alum, Dr. Michael Balick as he talks about his work studying plants used in traditional healing by indigenous cultures, the science of ethnomedicine, and his research in New York City, studying
traditional healing practices in ethnic communities in the urban environment. Described as “one of the great botanical experts of our
time,” Dr. Balick has a specialty in medicinal and food plants, and the
role they play in traditional health care systems. Since the early 1980’s
he has worked with indigenous cultures around the world studying
how people interact with the plants in their environment, and toward
conservation of biological and cultural diversity. He has worked to
document their plant knowledge, understand the environmental effects of their traditional management systems, and develop sustainable utilization systems, while ensuring that the benefits of this work
are always shared with local communities. Originally from Delaware,
Dr. Balick will also discuss the trajectory of his career, starting with
the University of Delaware.
Michael’s latest book, Rodale’s 21st Century Herbal: A Practical
Guide for Healthy Living Using Nature’s Most Powerful Plants will be
available for purchase and to sign. e book has been inspired by
texts known as “herbals,” a genre of books published widely during
the 15th-18th centuries that contain information on the therapeutic
use of plants.
Dr. Michael Balick received his Ph.D. in Biology om Harvard University, with an undergraduate major in horticulture and plant science
om the University of Delaware. Dr. Balick references Dr. Richard W.
Lighty as one of his mentors. Currently, he is Vice President for Botanical Science and Director and Philecology Curator of the Institute of Economic Botany at the New York Botanical Garden. e author of more
than 16 scientific and general interest books and monographs, he teaches
ethnobotany at Columbia University, where he serves as an Adjunct
Professor, in addition to New York University, Yale University, and City
University of New York.
Special Event: Art in the Garden: 14th
Annual Outdoor Sculpture Exhibition
ursday, May 8, 4 – 5:30 pm, Reception and award ceremony
Exhibit runs: April 24 – May 14
Location: Front of Townsend Hall
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Dr. Michael Balick in Palau 2012
Reception and awards ceremony for UD sculpture students’ display
of art works. Each year, sculpture students from the Department
of fine Arts and Visual Communications at UD and Towson
University install art in the UD Botanic Gardens. Join us for a
reception, awards ceremony, and garden tour as students discuss their
sculptures. Many pieces are available for sale.
Garden Tour to Private Garden in York,
Pennsylvania
Wednesday, June 18 (rain date ursday, June 19), 8 am – ~4 pm
Location Departure: Next to UD Creamery
UDBG Members: $60; nonmembers: $75 (parking behind
Townsend Hall included)
Join Melinda Zoehrer and Rick Darke as they lead a day trip to
Millbourne, the rarely seen 50-acre private paradise created by the
Appell family in York, Pennsylvania. During the past 40 years, the
owners have created a number of enchanting spaces on the site’s
dramatic, rolling topography. Highlights include: a Secret Garden
with a fountain and stone bridge (featured in Rosemary Verey’s book,
A Secret Garden), Conservatory/pool house designed and created in
England, King Edward’s Garden—named for a statue of Edward the
Confessor, Stone Arched Bridge, Azalea Garden, Peony and Rose
Garden, Pinetum, Japanese maples, two stone Belvederes—a Chapel
Tower and a Tower Ruin, Flora’s Garden—featuring a statue
depicting the goddess of flowers, a pool, gazebo, carriage house
featuring restored vintage automobiles, and formal plantings and a
multitude of flowering trees, shrubs, and perennials, all shown off in
the full glory of autumn. Bring your own lunch and drink to eat in
the Conservatory or on the grounds. Restrooms are available in the
Chapel Tower, Conservatory, and Carriage House.
Please wear comfortable walking shoes; garden is not ADA accessible; some comfort level with walking up gentle slope is necessary.
Favorite Plants: Why We Like Them con’t from page 1
with events, famous people or places, or just through their
association with us personally. ey may be useful and
appropriate in the garden, or they may be there just because
we want them. I kept certain plants in the garden simply to
stump visitors; plants like Orixa japonica, the only plant on
Earth with orixate phyllotaxy (arrangement of leaves on the
twigs). Korean maple (Acer pseudosieboldianum var. takesimense), has reliable, spectacular autumn color, but I kept it
because I had found it on Ullung-do, in the Sea of Japan.
Likewise, Daphniphyllum macropodum has a place because I
had seen it first at the only place it grows natively--Korea. It
is a beautiful large evergreen shrub, but that’s not why it
ended up in the garden. Blue cohosh (Caulophyllum thalictroides) is a great native wildflower related to barberry. When
I take visitors by it in our garden, I point out that it is the
only “gymnospermous” angiosperm: the only higher plant
that bears its seeds open to the elements, as pines and yews
and cycads do.
As for the plants that made it into our garden because of
their association with me, I cite Actaea pachypoda ‘Misty
Blue’, a lovely blue-leaved doll’s eyes found by a gardener at
Mt. Cuba Center while I was Director there. Other Mt.
Cuba introductions I treasure are Aster laevis ‘Bluebird’, a
smooth aster found in Guilford, CT, and Porteranthus
trifoliatus ‘Pink Profusion’, sent to Mt. Cuba by an amateur
botanist from Virginia.
Plants with spectacular flowers add zest to the garden. e
recent surge of interest in hydrangeas of all types is a case in
point. I was attracted to Hydrangea quercifolia when there
were only three cultivars in existence; now there are many
with differing habits, foliage colors and flower forms. e
same goes for Hydrangea serrata; we are in the middle of an
explosion of diversity in fully hardy cultivars for our area. A
favorite of mine is the cultivar ‘Preziosa’, which in soils with
the proper acidity, will go from white to so, sky-blue and
finally to maroon-purple and green. It dries well for winter
arrangements. In my childhood Hydrangea macrophylla
was only vaguely hardy in Zone 6. Now we have enormous
variety to choose and use. In New Zealand several years ago I
saw what could be done in creating gardens of great beauty
and interest with the array of long-lasting colors and habits
of hydrangeas. On the herbaceous side, the same could be
said for Phlox paniculata and P. stolonifera. Terrific color
combinations can be created using the diversity of cultivars
available. In high sun, I liked to use Baptisia, Echinacea,
Siberian iris and Kniphofia to inject color interest.
As spring begins the parade of plants in your garden, I
encourage you to remind yourself and others, that the joy of
gardening comes, not simply from the plants themselves, but
from the complex associations they call to mind.
Dick Lighty was the first director of Mt. Cuba Center in
Delaware, where he promoted the use of the rich flora of the Appalachian Piedmont region in gardens and their conservation
in the wild. Prior to that, he was in charge of research at Longwood Gardens, and then directed the Longwood Graduate Program at the University of Delaware, where he was also associate
professor of plant science. He has explored for plants in Korea,
Japan, Nigeria, and Central and South America.
Volunteer Spotlight is a Bit Dimmer
by Valann Budischak
Marion Goode Shirkey, a longtime UDBG Friend,
volunteer, and supporter, passed away on February 22nd
aer a courageous battle with ALS. Marion loved to garden
and shared this passion in service to others. She was an
active participant in the potting group and the UDBG plant
sales for many, many years. As a matter of fact, I think she
had every plant sale t-shirt. On sale days you could find her
in the midst of the action – as a cashier or assisting
customers in holding. Marion was also a member of the
1992 NCC Master Gardener training class and held
multiple leadership roles until last year, when her health
prevented her active participation.
Marion graduated with high honors from the University of
Alabama Law School, and went on to make her career as an
attorney for the Social Security Administration. She
declined other opportunities along the way because she felt
she was in an ideal position to make a difference to others.
I recently read a book entitled, “When the Game is Over,
It All Goes Back in the Box.” It’s loosely based upon the game
of Monopoly, but its true focus is the
game of life. I dog-eared a page with
a quote that really struck home for
me. “We make a living by what we
get. We make a life
by what we give.”
Marion gave us an incredible gi – the
gi of her time, her talents, and her
friendship. We’ll miss you Marion.
anks for everything!
Marion Shirkey
Image by Melinda Zoehrer
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UD Botanic Gardens selected as partner for
Woodburn Garden Project
by Nancy Gainer, CANR Communications Director
Some say a rose by any other name is just a rose; a gordlinia
by any other name, however, is far from just another
gordlinia. UDBG’s own gordlinia, a rare tree characterized
by large “fried egg” white flowers and deep maroon fall foliage, has been donated to the Woodburn Garden Project as
plans unfold to establish the historic grounds at Woodburn,
the governor’s residence in Dover, as a public garden.
UDBG has been selected as one of several official partners
for the project, which is being coordinated in two phases by
Delaware’s Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs.
Nationally-known landscape architect Rodney Robinson, a
UD alumnus who hails from the College of Agriculture and
Natural Resources, heard about the plant last September
through a colleague at work and visited UDBG to purchase
the unique species, which is a hybrid between two native
trees (Franklinia and Gordonia).
When he became involved with plans for phase one of the
Woodburn Garden Project at the home of Delaware Governor Jack Markell, Robinson knew the gordlinia was the “last
piece of the puzzle.” A call to Melinda Zoehrer, assistant director of UDBG, followed quickly to see if the botanic gardens would be interested in donating the tree to what will
one day be a popular garden focal point in the Dover area.
Ken Darsney, state horticulturist for Delaware’s Division of
Historical and Cultural Affairs, visited campus to secure the
Pictured are (from le)
Melinda Zoehrer, assistant director,
UD Botanic Gardens; Mark Rieger,
dean, College of Agriculture and
Natural Resources; Ken Darsney,
state horticulturist, Delaware
Division of Historical and
Cultural Affairs; and John Frett,
director of UDBG and professor
of landscape horticulture.
Image by Danielle Quigley
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tree, which has wowed many by its beauty and rarity. “e
gordlinia was used during phase one of the planting,” he said.
“We are going to interpret the garden from different angles
to tell stories. It has been a lot of work, but we are happy.
Phase two will be a formal garden located in the back of the
residence.”
“e Woodburn Garden Project is an important way for our
students and faculty to help tell the state’s botanical story,”
said Mark Rieger, dean of the College of Agriculture and
Natural Resources. “We are particularly honored to have
been asked to contribute to this important effort and look
forward to our continued partnership in phase two of the
project.”
A formal ribbon-cutting for the garden is slated for spring
2014 at Woodburn. Woodburn has served as the official residence of the governor of Delaware since it was purchased by
the state in 1965. e Georgian mansion is considered to be
one of the finest examples of late-18th century architecture
in Delaware.
e house was built by Charles Hillyard III around 1798.
Hillyard bought the land at a sheriff ’s sale for 546 pounds, 4
shillings and six-pence in 1784. At the time of purchase, the
estate measured approximately 29 acres and was located outside the town limits of Dover.
Jason Veil:
Curatorial Graduate Student 2013-2015
by Jason Veil
Now into my second semester as Dr. Frett’s curatorial
graduate student, I feel great knowing I am part of the
dedicated UDBG team. Aer a 10-year career in sales in the
wholesale nursery industry, I have returned to school at 36.
I chose a graduate program in which I can expand my
knowledge of ornamental trees and shrub and learn about
the innerworkings of a public garden. Not only am I the
resident plant record keeper, documenting and mapping
garden collections, I’m also immersed in the study of
taxonomy, plant curation, statistics and GIS (geographic
information systems). In addition to mapping plants and
creating signage at the UDBG, I have had the opportunity
to assist the plant records personnel at both Chanticleer and
Longwood Gardens, learning each garden’s curatorial goals
and processes. But the most rewarding experience so far has
been as Dr. Frett’s teaching assistant for Botany and Plant
Materials classes. I particularly enjoyed guiding my shivering
class of undergraduates on lengthy tree walks through
February’s Polar Vortex.
A woodsy upbringing in Western Pennsylvania, coupled
with a chronic case of idealism, first led me to Penn State
and a degree in Forestry. Aer surviving a few courses in
tree identification and taxonomy, I was hooked. A few
semesters of measuring “board footage,” however, and
evaluating woodlots for timber value, I lost my enthusiasm.
I realized I'd rather extol the aesthetics of trees rather than
work for their profitable demise.
eventually will lead to more beautiful, diverse and
sustainable landscapes. My research focus is on UDBG’s
holly collection. I hope my findings will result in curatorial
guidelines for ensuring the instructional and aesthetic value
of this large and popular group of plants. Perhaps these
results then may be applied to other plant groups and
collections at the UDBG.
Following graduation in the spring of 2015, I’ll look for a
curatorial position with one of the country’s extensive woody
plant collections. UD’s Plant Curation program is preparing
me for this goal. In addition, teaching the lab portions of
Dr. Frett’s classes has made me even more aware of the
importance of training the next generation of horticulturists.
I hope my future will not only be as a curator and caretaker
of plants, but also as an educator.
Jason Veil
Image by Melinda Zoehrer
My B.S. in Urban Forestry led to a sales career in the greens
industry, assisting landscape architects and design-build
firms with their plant needs. I especially enjoyed tracking
down rare and unusual plants for discerning and
adventurous customers. is led to an interest in public
gardens as the key to a new, more rewarding career path,
which meant an advanced degree here at UD.
My thesis proposal is to develop criteria for assessing the
relevance of university gardens like the UDBG and to
determine how well the collection supports our educational
mission. It is imperative we develop pertinent plant
collections to benefit students who will enter the industry
aer graduation, as well as augment and support university
research. Well-prepared graduates in the greens industry
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PATRONS
OUR SINCERE APPRECIATION to the individuals listed below for their generosity to the 2014 Spring Plant Sale. Your gis directly support UDBG’s Student
Program, a vital component that provides summer and school year student interns a paid opportunity to gain practical experience and training.
Up to $129
Jane E. Adams
Marjorie Adams
Nancy Balogh
Kimberlee C. Balas
Laura and Carmine Balascio
Barb and Steve Borleske
Kyle and Michael Boyer
Claudia and Scott Bradley
Gary Burcham
Ruth S. Crossan
Jacquelyn Cusumano and Joseph Paesani
Dr. Robert H. Deming
Mary Anna Dimes
John W. Douts
Page W. Dwyer
Lorraine and Richard Fleming
Mara and Brenton Grant
Frances Hart
Judith and John Herdeg
Marilyn and Alan Jewett
Frances and Steven Klein
Dr. Richard J. Libera
Dr. Blake Meyers
Mary O’Connell and John Sparco
Linda A. D. Olsen
Nancy and Jon Olson
Carla Pastore
Mary V. Pritchard
Phyllis and Frank Rawling
Deborah and Kenneth Roberts
Angelia Seyfferth
Marlene Snelling
Mary Ellen Stachnik
Linda and John Stapleford
Karen Steenhoek
Helen Waite and John Feliciani
Kate Wilhere
Aleph A. Woolfolk
Gerry and Ron Zuka
4 Anonymous Donors
**$130–$249
Mary and Shipley Allinson
Pat and Alistair Arnott
Susan Barton
Pat Boyd
Anne P. Canby
Ann C. Case
Donna and Russell Crook
Joanne Bahr Cushman
Marilyn and Dominic DiToro
Shirley and Joe Duffy
Judith Franks-Pendleton
Gary Gerlach
Donna L. Gerst and Glenn Hardcastle
Nancy Gray
Roseann Harkins
Richard Jolly and Charles Ingersoll
Longwood Class of 1969
RoseLynn and David Malarek
Robin Morgan and Jim Damewood
Dorothy and David Onn
JoAnn Payne
Mr. and Mrs. William Petit de Mange
Mr. and Mrs. Charles A. Philips
Kristine Qualls
Dr. James F. Resch
Jane and John Ritterson
Patti and Ron Roman
Wendy and J. Eric Russell
Geri and Ken Schilling
Judith and Bill Spruance
Sue and Jim Swasey
Douglas W. Tallamy
Elizabeth Trammell
Bettie von Frankenberg
Kris Walker
Janet Watson, In Memory of her husband Stephen J. Watson
Mary Jane Wrenn
3 Anonymous Donors
Catherine and Rick Colbert
Mary L. Gotsch
Marilyn R. Hayward
Richard A. Miller, In Memory of his wife Ann Miller
Cynthia A. Morgan
Margaret Moore and Harvey Reisine
Dana C. Parker
John J. Pikulski
Alice D. Reilly
Debra Rodgers and Paul Meyer
Mr. and Mrs. Walter S. Rowland
Sue Schaefer and Paul Dennison
Kit Shum
Marion T. Silliman
Beth Stark
William E. Trescott, Jr.
Pat and Bob Uniatowski
Barbara Wallace
Peggy Weymouth
Melinda Zoehrer and Rick Darke
1 Anonymous Donor
$250–$499
Kathy and Marvin Andersen
Mary Lou and Tom Brockenbrough
Catherine Buckminster
Virginia Lee Butters
Mae and Robert Carter
$2,500–$4,999
Melissa and Bill Lafferty
$500–$999
Peg and Steve Castorani
Mr. and Mrs. Harold Davis
Delaware Nursery and Landscape Association
Betsy and Robert McCoy
Lisa D. Moseley
Jeanne O. Shields
P. Coleman and Susan Townsend
$1,000–$2,499
Mrs. George P. Bissell, Jr.
Evelyn Burnam
Andrea Everard
John Frett
Sian and Hugh Frick
Betty and Robert Shellenbarger
$5,000
Robert E. Lyons
Elizabeth Sharp
**Gis at this level and above are able to attend the Patron Plant Sale and Reception on Wednesday, April 23, 4:30–6 pm.
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Contact Information
Telephone 302-831-0153 • http://canr.udel.edu/udbg
Newsletter editor: Susan Baldwin • Director: Dr. John Frett
Assistant Director: Melinda Zoehrer
Volunteer and Education Coordinator: Valann Budischak
Visit the UD Botanic Gardens
UDBG is open to visitors everyday from sunrise to sunset; admission is free.
Please obtain a visitor parking pass (fee: $3.00) on-line at
https://udel.t2hosted.com/cmn/index.aspx or
use the metered parking near the UDairy Creamery.
The University of Delaware is an Equal Opportunity/Title IX institution. Please visit www.udel.edu/ExecVP/policies/personnel/4-40.html to read our anti-discrimination policy in its entirety.
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