Colchicum: The Complete Guide

The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) has recently been producing excellent single genus books. Known historically as botanical monographs, the works of the past twenty years give equal importance to horticulture. While the many species are considered for their habitats and qualities, so are the many selected varieties or developed cultivars that are important to gardeners. Illustrations are much more prominent than in older books, and include paintings by botanical artists, contemporary and historical, and excellent photography.

An example is “Colchicum: The Complete Guide,” by Christopher Grey-Wilson and Robert Rolfe, that delves into a genus of great diversity with over 100 species and an extensive list of hybrids and cultivars. Each is stunningly shown with close-up photographs, while the text sorts out the nomenclature for the enthusiast. At over 500 pages, it is helpful for the average gardener to pick out a few key recommendations by the authors.

Colchicum speciosum ‘Album’ is “without question the finest white autumn crocus grown in gardens.” ‘Autumn Queen’ is the top choice for early-flowering and displays tessellation (a checkboard pattern on the petals), while ‘Giant’ is “extremely vigorous in the garden and quick to multiply.” Finally, the double ‘Waterlily’ “is one of the most distinctive and eagerly sought garden cultivars.” Having grown all of these, I agree with these assessments.

Excerpted from Brian Thompson’s article in the Spring 2023 issue of the Arboretum Bulletin

A Virgin for Eighty Years: Aucuba, an Overlooked Treasure

One of the most unusual titles in the Miller Library collection is “A Virgin for Eighty years,” by Linda Eggins, a book about the genus Aucuba, and primarily one species, A. japonica. The reason for the title? It’s complicated.

This plant was introduced from Japan to English horticulture in the 1780s and became very popular for the different color patterns of the leaves and its ability to adapt in many garden and indoor settings. However, Aucuba is dioecious, having male and female flowers on different plants, and all the English plants were female. It was known to have bright red berries in its native range, but these did not develop without a male plant nearby. Japan had closed its border to European explorers and it wasn’t until a change in diplomatic policy occurred in the 1860s that a male plant could be obtained and introduced with great fanfare into English horticulture.

Eggins tells this engaging story and other aspects of this plant’s history in science and cultivation, including its reign as a high-status plant. This is contrasted with its fall in status in the early 20^th century, and is now regarded as a plant that “languishes with an undeserved reputation as a car-park plant, a filler to bulk-out dark corners in unpromising positions.”

The last half of this book is an extraordinary effort to sort out the many cultivars that have been selected of Aucuba. Eggins, and her late husband, Howard Eggins, first established the British National Collection of this genus, which is now grown at the University of Birmingham.

Excerpted from Brian Thompson’s article in the Spring 2023 issue of the Arboretum Bulletin

Lathyrus: the Complete Guide

The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) has recently been producing excellent single genus books. Known historically as botanical monographs, the works of the past twenty years give equal importance to horticulture. While the many species are considered for their habitats and qualities, so are the many selected varieties or developed cultivars that are important to gardeners. Illustrations are much more prominent than in older books, and include paintings by botanical artists, both contemporary and historical, and excellent photography.

Is this book useful if you are just looking for the most colorful and fragrant sweet peas? Yes – but there is much more, including how these plants exist within the complex biology of nature. The authors also remind us that our gardens are part of a much larger ecosystem.

“Lathyrus: The Complete Guide,” by Greg Kenicer and Roger Parsons, is primarily about sweet peas (Lathyrus odoratus), highlighting over 500 cultivars. Their development was especially rapid in the early 20^th century, fueled by the introduction of the first Spencer type with its longer racemes (flower stalk) and larger, wavy petals. This led to “an explosion of interest in sweet peas during the Edwardian era.” It also began an era in which many of the breeders were amateurs. A contest for home growers conducted by the Daily Mail of London in 1911 brought in 39,000 entries.

This book takes the bold step of treating the garden pea, known in most sources as Pisum sativum, as part of this genus (as L. oleraceus) based on recent DNA studies. It also briefly reviews all 150 species in the genus, including L. vernus, an excellent early-spring perennial in Seattle gardens, and L. sativus, a widely grown fodder crop with deep blue flowers that “is a worthy annual ornamental in its own right.”

Excerpted from Brian Thompson’s article in the Spring 2023 issue of the Arboretum Bulletin

The Genus Agapanthus

The British Royal Botanic Gardens (RBG) has recently been producing excellent single genus books. Known historically as botanical monographs, the works of the past twenty years give equal importance to horticulture. While the many species are considered for their habitats and qualities, so are the many selected varieties or developed cultivars that are important to gardeners. Illustrations are much more prominent than in older books, and include paintings by botanical artists, contemporary and historical, and excellent photography.

The newest from the RBG is “The Genus Agapanthus” by Graham Duncan, a bulb specialist at the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden in Cape Town, South Africa. He brings the expertise of both a gardener and field botanist to this wholly southern Africa genus. I especially appreciated that he begins, after a brief history, with the best choices as garden cultivars. As a gardener, you might stop there, but I encourage you to keep reading as the species descriptions include tips on cultivation, more history, and the beautiful illustrations by present day South African artist Elbe Loubert.

Excerpted from Brian Thompson’s article in the Spring 2023 issue of the Arboretum Bulletin

Streptocarpus

About 20 years ago, I drove a very narrow roadway in northern Wales in search of Dibley’s Nursery. I had recently discovered the genus Streptocarpus, a houseplant that is closely related to African violets (now considered to be in the same genus). All my reading confirmed that Dibley’s was THE source in Britain, if not the world, for this plant. A visit was mandatory.

I was not disappointed. The complex of greenhouses was filled with Streptocarpus varieties in a rainbow of colors, everything except orange. It was a day I fondly remember. While I couldn’t transport any plants home with me, I’m now very pleased that the Miller Library has the 3^rd edition of “Streptocarpus” by Rex Dibley. This book highlights many of the varieties the firm has introduced and much more.

There are over 150 recognized species and several of these are shown with photos from their natural setting in several locations in Africa. The most unusual have only one large leaf with the inflorescence growing out of the base. Some are monocarpic, blooming once, setting seed, and then dying. While these are more challenging to grow, I encourage all to try the easier hybrids that are widely available.

Excerpted from Brian Thompson’s article in the Spring 2023 issue of the Arboretum Bulletin

My World of Hepaticas

A couple of years ago, at a Northwest Horticultural Society spring plant sale, I succumbed to the charms of hepaticas. I bought several, but my learning curve was steep. I was expecting them to be ephemeral, leaves disappearing in the summer like their close relatives, the anemones. I was surprised when the leaves persisted through the summer, and chagrined when a couple died because of insufficient water.

Of course, I could have done more research in the Miller Library. That is much easier now with the addition of “My World of Hepaticas” by John Massey, with scientific input by Tomoo Mabuchi. Massey is the owner of Ashwood Nurseries, located near Birmingham, England.

This book is a treasure only available from Ashwood. Hundreds of sumptuous photographs demonstrate the beauty and variety of these flowers, including a myriad of hybrids and their often-delightful foliage. It is more than just a picture book, as I found guidance to ensure the well-being of future additions to my garden.

The authors recognize ten species, and Massey describes each, typically from his trips to their native places around the globe. Sections titled “field notes” chronicles these location visits, describing the ecological niches, but also his interactions with the local people who shared his passion.

“This book isn’t just about hepaticas. It is in fact a huge adventure story, traveling the globe and, most of all, meetings lots of wonderful, exciting people. I often feel I am the luckiest person in the world.”

Profiles of many of these people are in a chapter titled “The Cast (Friends & Mentors),” who like the plants, hale from many places. Throughout the book, Massey recalls fondly his visits to their specialty gardens, nurseries, and hepatica exhibits.

Another story, told by a long-time Ashwood employee, tells of the challenges of mounting a display of hepaticas for the famous Chelsea Flower Show. Held in late May, this meant the early blooming plants needed holding back, an elaborate process involving cold storage and frequent monitoring.

Fortunately, my surviving hepaticas do not need this much attention, but this book will likely entice me to buy more!

Reviewed by Brian Thompson in Garden Notes: Northwest Horticultural Society, Spring 2023

Healing Grounds: Climate, Justice, and the Deep Roots of Regenerative Farming

Most readers know that America’s long history of racial discrimination has severely limited land ownership by people of color. In Healing Grounds, Liz Carlisle shows how farming practices among four oppressed groups – Indigenous, Black, Latinx, and Asian Americans – have historically maintained and improved the land these people have been able to occupy, and how they continue to do so.

Their methods suggest a path to regenerative farming that could arrest climate change, if combined with major reduction in the use of fossil fuels.

Most surprising is Carlisle’s chapter on restoring the buffalo. In this, as in the other chapters, she builds her case by introducing the reader to individual experts. Here, Latrice Tatsey, a graduate student and member of the Blackfeet Nation, is stretched on the ground with her head in a foot-deep hole she has dug to begin her research into soil quality in buffalo grazing land. Next Carlisle interweaves conversation, references to other experts, and the story of an ambitious plan to bring back free-ranging buffalo herds. The result would be a healthier prairie, with a wider variety of plants and healthier soil that would sequester more carbon. No plowing, no land left uncovered between planting seasons, no monoculture. It’s very engaging reading.

Each chapter follows the same pattern. Some history of the discriminatory practices endured by each group leads into discussion of healthy farming methods used by each, and a suggestion of how each could lead to climate friendly regenerative farming.

In each case, the odds against widespread adaptation of these methods seem long. Nonetheless the author leaves us with lots of good reading about the intersection between agriculture, racism, and climate change, and with hope that those long odds can be overcome.

Reviewed by Priscilla Grundy in the Leaflet, Volume 10, Issue 2, February 2023.

The New Gardener’s Handbook: Everything You Need to Know to Grow a Beautiful & Bountiful Garden

The subtitle of this book is “Everything You Need to Know” and it definitely is that. It is the best book I’ve read, for both beginners and experienced gardeners alike. Daryl Beyers has lots of useful information, very clearly stated with photos and drawings to illustrate. For the ecology-minded, he tends toward natural and organic methods, with sensitivity to those of us with limited physical strength or time constraints. It’s very readable and engaging. One gardener I know, who has always been intimidated by gardening, loves this book.

Reviewed by Diane Nuckles in December 2022.

Chasing Plants: Journeys with a Botanist through Rainforests, Swamps, and Mountains

“Just imagine it: your parents on their hands and knees groping at a swarm of crickets unleashed from an upturned box; your teenage sister screaming at toads spawning in the bath; squirting cucumbers launching a raid of missiles down the stairs; and the gut-wrenching stench of a freshly unfurled dragon arum wafting through the front door. This is what I subjected my family to.” (p. 7)

The opening paragraph of Chasing Plants by Chris Thorogood, recalling his childhood love of living things, lures the reader into the text. Thorogood is Deputy Director and Head of Science at the Oxford University Botanic Garden. He is also a fine botanical illustrator and a winsome writing stylist. This volume focuses on his pursuit of rare plants, developed from his own diaries. The seven trips described take the reader from England to as far as South Africa and Borneo. (No searches in the Americas.) Each chapter includes one or more oil paintings of the sought-after plants.

In Kent he scrambles over the edge of the White Cliffs of Dover to collect picris broomrape ( Orobanche picridis). Impressively, he sits on a foot-wide shelf, “examining, measuring, collecting and scribbling,” (p. 29) and twisting to take a photograph. He then makes it back to the top of the cliff, fending off repeated efforts by a huge gull to pluck him from his perch.

On the Golan Heights at Israel’s northeastern border, he avoids a mine field to reach the black iris ( Iris atrofusca), pausing to consider its beauty in spite of its absence of color.

In Japan, at the Botanic Gardens of Toyama, his guide, the Curator of the Gardens, begins the tour singing a Japanese folk song, accompanied by his shamisen, a three-stringed instrument. One plant there, Monotropastrum humile, “a leafless, ghostly white plant, each stem supporting a nodding flower that looks strangely like a pony’s head” (p. 172), gains attention because Japanese scientists had recently discovered that its seeds are spread by cockroaches.

Thorogood’s variety of experiences and his skill in delivering them combine to make Chasing Plants a very entertaining read.

Reviewed by Priscilla Grundy in the January 2023 issue of The Leaflet, vol. 10, issue 1.

Wild Flowers of North America

In the late 19^th century in western Canada there were two women who, while not sisters, had a lot in common. Much of their stories are found in “A Delicate Art: Artists, Wildflowers and Native Plants of the West” by Mary-Beth Laviolette.

Mary Schäffer Warren (1861-1939) and Mary Vaux Walcott (1860-1940) were both of Quaker families living in Philadelphia, arguably the center for science and culture in America at the time. They both developed strong interests in the natural world, and developed the skills to paint in watercolors the native plants they found.

They joined a trip of the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences to the Rockies and Selkirk Mountains of eastern British Columbia and western Alberta in 1889, traveling together part of the way on the top of a box car! They brought this same adventuresome passion to hiking and exploring the peaks, returning every summer for many years.

The pathways of the two Marys eventually diverged. Mary Vaux Walcott continued visiting the region every summer, but typically in the company of her two brothers, who were interested in studying the glaciers. As the only daughter, at age 20 she was expected to look after her father and brothers after the death of her mother. As Laviolette writes, the three siblings had “many summers spent in the western alpine, and for Mary in particular a lifelong commitment of over forty years in the area. To come were the pleasures of mountain rambling and backcountry camping in addition to the study of wildflowers and, on an entirely different scale, glaciers.”

Walcott finally broke this pattern by getting married at age 54 to Charles Doolittle Walcott, who she met in the mountains, and who was the head of the Smithsonian Institution. Together, they intensified their study of native plants, resulting in the publication of the five-volume “North American Wild Flowers” from 1925-1929. The Miller Library has only volume five of this set, with 76 of the 400 original prints, but all are reproduced in the 1953 publication “Wild Flowers of America” and most are part of a splendid new (2022) collection by Pamela Henson, “Wild Flowers of North America.” These later publications are both in the library’s general collection.

While titles suggest a comprehensive collection of the native, flowering plants of the United States and Canada, the emphasis is on the places where the Walcotts’ explored. The Canadian mountains and foothills fill in for much of western America, including our state, while the other emphasis is the Atlantic seaboard. The southwest species are mostly missing, but these are still impressive works.

Excerpted from Brian Thompson’s article in the Winter 2022 issue of the Arboretum Bulletin, updated June 2023