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Dying Beech Trees

image: Mary Pitts/Holden Forests and Gardens

It was first noticed in Ohio in 2012, but a disease that's ravaging beech trees -- both American and European cultivars -- is now spreading in the Midwest, throughout New England, and also into some of the mid-Atlantic states. Called Beech Leaf Disease, it's caused by a foliar nematode. a microscopic worm.  In spring, affected trees sport leaves with noticable dark bands and buds that fall off.  The leaves eventually wither and die, and the trees themselves succumb within several years. 

Scientists have not yet found an effective treatment to combat the disease, and it is spreading rapidly, attacking both saplings and mature trees. If you notice beech trees in your neighborhood that appear to be struggling, report it immediately to your state's forest service.

Memorial Day Rose

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY

And what better way to celebrate than with a Memorial Day  Rose? This orchid pink hybrid tea was an All-America Rose Selections  winner in 2004. One bloom is said to be enough to fill an entire room with its strong damask scent.  It's a medium-tall, upright shrub, about five feet tall and four feet wide. Long stems, low thorns, and clear green leaves make it a good candidate for the cutting garden.  The blooms are about five inches in diameter, with a petal count of 50-plus.

In addition, it's said to have very good disease resistance and it's also quite heat-tolerant.

This rose was developed by Tom Carruth, then of Weeks Roses of Upland, CA. Memorial Day is a cross between Blueberry Hill and New Zealand, and it was Carruth's fifth AARS winner.

You should be able to buy the rose at most garden centers or from mail-order sources.  If not, you can check Weeks website by clicking on the link above to find a nursery that carries it. 

(photo: Gene Sasse (c) 2007 courtesy Weeks Roses)

 

Happenings May 2023 Update

EVENTS:

May 15, "Connecticut Gardens," Garden Conservancy Webinar, ONLINE
2pm Eastern, Author Caryn Davis profiles 44 Gardens.

May 20, Garden Dialogues, TCLF, Washington DC
10-11:30am, Tour & Talk, LA Jay Graham of Moody Graham

Books: Small Meadows, Arid Garden Design

This is the perfect book for getting rid of that unsustainable lawn and replacing it with beautiful, year-round plants in a tiny meadow inspired by nature.  In Tiny+Wild, (Cool Springs Press, 2023), author and designer Graham Laird Gardner.  As he explains in the introduction to the book, large, natural spaces characterized by "texture, energy, and seasonality" can be transposed into a "container, corner, or entire lot."  He adds, "The sum of these small efforts is greater than their individual moments of beauty.  Together, they offer a patchwork of habitat, forage, and cover--pathways for pollinators, food for songbirds, and delight for humans."

Gardner takes you through the process of creating, designing, planting, and caring for your small meadow in the following chapters, accompanied by gorgeous photos of gardens and plants. At the back of the book, there are a number of very useful lists of meadow-appropriate plants for all conditions (ie, bulbs, part-shade plants, dry sun plants, annuals, grasses, groundcovers and more).

Another plus is a list of gardens, books, and designers where you can find more info, but particularly more inspiration. If you didn't think you could ever have a meadow, this is the book you want.

 

If you live in a dry climate region, you need water-wise plants and planting design.  In Dry Climate Gardening, (Cool Springs Press, 2023), author and horticulturist Noelle Johnson (known as the "AZ Plant Lady") shows you how to design, install, and maintain a garden with minimal water.

As she explains in the introduction, dry climate gardens can be much more than rocks and cacti. "You can have a garden filled with flowering shrubs and groundcovers or one filled with unique shapes of cacti and succulents, or a combination of both....a beautiful outdoor space that will shrug off the stress of low humidity, drought, and intense heat."

In the following chapters, she explains how choosing the right plants can prevent water loss, how to design for impact, how to reduce fire risk, and much more.  Plant profiles accompanied by photos illustrate the possibilities for beauty, and gorgeous photos of gardens throughout the book are truly inspirational. Resources at the back of the book include additional books and online resources on the subject and a list of arid climate botanical gardens where you can see the results yourself.

Commissions earned.

 

 

 

Happenings May 2023

SELECTED EVENTS AROUND THE COUNTRY:

Exhibitions:

May 2-Oct 15, Chihuly in the Garden, St. Louis, MO
Missouri Botanical Garden

May 27-Sept 17, Artist Ebony G. Patterson, Bronx, NY
Art & Nature: sculptures, horticultural displays & more, NY Botanical Garden

EVENTS:

May 3, Garden Edibles, Greenwich, CT
10am-1pm, Garden Tour of Sleepy Cat Farm & Demo,
The Garden Conservancy
May 4, Film "Master Gardener" Sneak Preview, Bronx, NY
6-9pm, film screening starring Sigourney Weaver, NY Botanical Garden
May 6, Garden Conservancy Open Days Tours: CA, MA, NJ
CA: Los Angeles; MA: Middlesex Cty; NJ: Essex Cty
May 6, "Restoring an Overgrown Garden," East Orange, NJ
10am-noon or 2pm-4pm, The Garden Conservancy
May 6-7 Mary Lou Heard Memorial Garden Tour, CA
10am-5pm, Self-guided, various locations. 40+ gardens
May 6-7 Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour, CA
10am-5pm, 50 + gardens, Self-guided, Alameda & Contra Costa counties.

May 7, "Rewilding a Ranch & Garden," Somis, CA
10am-2pm, Rancho Santa Clara del Norte, Garden Conservancy
May 12, National Public Gardens Day, USA
Special events at public gardens throughout the country.
May 13, Georgetown Garden Tour, Washington DC
10am-5pm, 93rd annual tour, fabulous urban gardens
May 13, Garden Conservancy Open Days Tours: CA, NJ, NY
CA: Alameda Cty; NJ:Bergen Cty; NY: Suffolk, Dutchess Ctys
May 13, Garden Evolution, Wainscott, NY
10am-noon, Biercuk-Luckey Garden, Garden Conservancy
May 13, Julie Newmar Garden, Los Angeles, CA
11am-1pm, Tour & Talk, Garden Conservancy
May 13, Drought Solutions, Albany, CA
2pm-4pm, Tour & Talk, author Keeyla Meadows, Garden Conservancy

May 17, Lecture, Designer Edwina Gal, Boylston, MA
7-8pm, Tower Hill Botanic Garden
"Biodiversity & the Perception of Beauty."
May 18, HIdden Gardens of Beacon Hill Garden Tour, Boston, MA
9am-5pm, 11 gardens plus ribbon gardens viewed from the sidewalk
May 20, Garden Dialogues, Washington DC
10-11:30am, Talk & Tour, TCLF
May 20, All About Containers Saturday, Bronx, NY
10am-5pm, Three Sections, NY Botanical Garden
May 20-21, Garden Conservancy Open Days Tours: CA, CT, ME, MA, NH, NY
CA: San Francisco, San Mateo; CT: New Haven, Windham Ctys; ; ME: York Cty; MA: MIddlesex, Worcester Ctys; NH: Cheshire Cty; NY: Westchester Cty;
May 20, Creative Garden Repurposing, San Francisco, CA
1pm-3pm, Tour & Talk, Garden Conservancy
May 20, Manitoga: The Power of Place, Garrison, NY
10am-noon & 4pm-6pm, Tour & Talk,
Home of Designer Russell Wright, Garden Conservancy

May 23-27, Chelsea Flower Show, London, UK
May 27, Garden Conservancy Open Days Tours: NY, SC
NY: Suffolk Cty; SC: Charleston
May 27, Three Dimensional Design, Hudson, NY
3pm-5pm, Tour & Talk, Garden Conservancy

LOOKAHEAD:

July 12-15, National Children & Youth Garden Symposium, Knoxville, TN

August 11-12, Speaking of Gardening Symposium, Asheville, NC

Sept 9, Garden Study Weekend, Washington, CT
Sept 20-21, Landscape Expo, Anaheim, CA

Oct 27-30, ASLA Annual Conference, Minneapolis, MN