Hortus Miscellaneous: A Gardeners Hodgepodge of Information and Instruction by Lorene Forkner and Linda Plato

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Table of Contents

Preface

The trouble with gardening is that it does not remain an avocation. It becomes an obsession.

PHYLLIS MCGINLEY (19051978), AMERICAN POET

Most gardening books and journals are made up of facts and material that to the mere mortal appear to embody the concept of arcane with a capital A. Lunar cycles, weather patterns, design principles that include not only three dimensions but also are further complicated by notions of time and space, color theory, taste tests, discipline, disease, pestilence, and physical laborlots of physical labor, greed, envy, as well as most of the other deadly sins, and so much moreall held together by the thread of what many consider a dead language. Who cares?! We do.

Throughout history gardeners have recorded their discoveries, their tips, their successes, and their disappointments. This most ancient craft began as a physical necessity for survival, evolved to address domestic dcor, and some would say has even been elevated to high art in the hands of the right creator. Hard science, mud-stained potting shed notes, old wives tales, folklore and superstition, happenstance, and habit have all contributed to this body of knowledge that we gardeners find so compelling. We are assured by the discovery that nothing in the garden itself has really changedthe sun, a seed, some moisture, and you have begun. It is our culture and our selves that change in response to making a garden, and that is a process of endless fascination. Plant the world and grow yourself.

LORENE EDWARDS FORKNER, JANUARY 2007

Acknowledgments

Im lucky to have a number of everyday heroes in my life; people who inspire me, support me, make me laugh, and give me courage. All the same it is difficult to lose someone, however imperative you know that change to be. Disease, job relocation, and changing circumstances conspire to insert distance and great loss. It is at such times that I reach out to hold those near me with renewed esteem and wonder, as I also learn to recognize the gifts my heroes have left me. Linda Plato was a heroic woman with a keen sense of humor and a boundless creative energy. Thank you, Linda, for the gift of this book to write and thank you to Gary Luke and the staff at Sasquatch Books for their flying faith that I could do so. I have found it to be a uniquely wonderful creative exercise as someone more accustomed to crafting her work in the physical world of plants, soil, seasons, pests, and sore muscles.

Great thanks must go to Debra Prinzing, who throughout this process has been my constant ally, cheerleader, and confidant. Lois Pendleton and Susan Goetz carried Lindas work through to completion; their commitment and input kept Lindas voice in our final project. Its all good.

Heartfelt thanks go to my staff at Fremont Gardens, who work so diligently in the service of the goddess flora. I am blessed to work among giants. I am grateful to my family, the Tribe, and friends and neighbors who always root for my success.

My husband, James, and children, Hilary and Max, believe in me and forever shore me up through the hard parts. They make the journey fun and complete me.

LORENE EDWARDS FORKNER

Count the Dots on Your Snowdrops

If a bee had three wings it would be a snowdrop ...

COLETTE (18731954), FRENCH NOVELIST

Latin name: Galanthus (from the Greek gala, for milk, and anthos, for flower)

Common name: Snowdrop

Cultivation: There are approximately 209 Galanthus species, varieties, and named cultivars currently available in the United Kingdom. Snowdrops may be purchased as dormant bulbs in the fall or in the green, that is, in active growth. Various species may bloom anywhere from late October through late March, with January and February offering peak show.

Flower: All snowdrops produce a single flowering stem with a pendant white bell-shaped flower made up of 3 outer petals and 3 shorter inner petals lightly marked with green dots on their interior. (Double forms, of which there are many, have more petals.) The outer petals rise to a nearly horizontal position on warm days to attract early and active insects; the green markings on the inner petals guide pollinators to the center of the bloom.

Fragrance: Said to be that of a good honey.

Whats the fuss?: Galanthophilea serious collector of snowdrops. Galanthus Galaa gathering of fellow collectors for the purpose of looking at the flowers. These events often feature lectures presented by fellow galanthophile experts, sales of specialty bulbs, and gardens where the lowly snowdrop doth shine.

Plays Well with Others

Mycorrhizal association: The relationship of a fungus with a higher plant, in which the fungus acts not as a parasite but as a partner, to both plants mutual benefit.

Gin: A Gardeners Tipple

The preferred cocktail of manyesteemed plants-woman Rosemary Verey (19192001) includedgin is a careful distillation of grain spirits with heady botanicals that produce its unique aroma and flavor. Highly guarded proprietary recipes are kept secret but generally include some or all of the following: juniper, coriander, citrus peel, angelica, orrisroot, cardamom, cubeb berries (a pepper-like fruit), cassia bark, licorice, and cinnamon. It has been said that a good martini should taste like rain.

Horticultural Latin

A richly descriptive language of classification designed to inform, specify, and communicate across any language barrier throughout the world. While seemingly complex and intimidating to many, gardeners can take comfort in the fact that the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature (ICBN) is not a spoken language and therefore there are no hard and fast rules as to correct pronunciation, regardless of what snobbish plants people may imply. Hierarchical in nature, with every level of the entire plant kingdom neatly in its place, this language of plants can be a valuable tool in a gardeners education.

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