Horticulture

Job Summary: Position located in PRINCETON, KY. Will function in a team of state Extension Specialists and County Extension Agents to demonstrate production/marketing systems and provide on-farm technical support. This will include the design, establishment and completion of on-farm demonstration plots aimed at farmer understanding and adoption of current sustainable nursery crop production technologies to meet market requirements and preparation of written and oral reports utilizing data from on-farm plots. Responsibilities also include routine on-farm consultations with farm families in the multi-county area and delivery of extension/educational programs in cooperation with County Extension Agents under the direction of a Horticulture Department faculty member. This position is grant funded for one year with anticipation of renewal.

Skills / Knowledge / Abilities: Working knowledge of commercial nursery crop production. Self motivated. Experience and demonstrated ability of working with people, cooperating as a team member and communication in both written and verbal form is required. Must be able to transport and use field equipment safely and effectively. A working knowledge of general farm production practices and equipment and computer skills for data entry and report generation are desirable.

Preferred Education / Experience: Minimum of a B.S. degree in Agriculture or related field .

Deadline to Apply: 11-29-2009

Only online UKJobs Applications will be considered: http://ukjobs.uky.edu/applicants/Central?quickFind=216366

For more information contact: Winston C. Dunwell, Ph.D. / UK Professor - Nursery Crops / 1205 Hopkinsville St, Princeton, KY 42445 / Ph. 270.365.7541 x 209 / Fax 270.365.2667 /wdunwell@uky.edu / WDunwellUKNCDCTwitter

October 31, 2009

HORTMEMO 11

TO: Horticulturists interested in Ornamental Horticulture

FROM: Win Dunwell, Extension Horticulturist

SUBJECT: Miscellaneous Information and Announcements.

The LNA Plant of the Month for October is Pseudolarix amabilis - Golden Larch is a deciduous conifer that is known for its "spectacular - fresh green spring foliage and - golden yellow fall color" (Dirr's manual, 2009). Lee Squires presented Golden Larch as the LNA Plant of the month; he mentioned it's preference for acid soils. At Cave Hill there is a recently planted Golden Larch near the office parking area and a large, truly magnificent, one in section 125. Images can be seen at http://www.ca.uky.edu/HLA/Dunwell/Pseudolarixamabilis.html

In the Forestry Health section pages 10 & 11 of Kentucky Woodlands Magazine volume 4 Issue 2 published by the University of Kentucky Department of Forestry Jeff Stringer, Hardwood Extension Specialist and editor of KY Woodlands Magazine wrote an article Invasive Plant Hit List: Chinese Sliver Grass. Included in the article are descriptions of Miscanthus sinesis and herbicide recommendations for controlling it. Each edition of KY Woodlands Magazine has the Forestry Health section that is the Invasive Plant Hit List for the issue. Previous listings include: Vol 4:1 Ligustrum sinesis and Ligustrum vulgare - Privet; Vol 3:3, Lonicera maackii, Bush Honeysuckle; Vol 3:2, Microsteguim vimineum, Japanese Stilt Grass; Vol 3:1, Alliaria petiolata - Garlic Mustard; Vol 2:3, Pueraria montana var. lobata - Kudzu ; Vol 2:2, Euonymus fortunei - Winter Creeper; Vol 2:1, Ailanthus altissima - Tree of Heaven; Vol 1:1 & Vol 1:2 Introduction of the Kentucky Forest Health Task Force. Most of the information on these plants can be gotten from the National Invasive Species Information Center (NISIC): gateway to invasive species information; covering Federal, State, local, and international sources

Fall Viticulture Conference on November 6th at OARDC in Wooster, Ohio was announced by UK viticulturist Patsy Wilson. The conference theme is titled "Recent Advances in Viticulture Research" with outstanding speakers from across the country including Dr. Nick Dokoozlian, Viticulturist (E&J Gallo Winery), Dr. Stan Howell, Emeritus (Michigan State University), Dr. Bruce Reisch, grape breeder (Cornell University), Dr. Justine Van Heuvel, Viticulturist (Cornell University), Dr. Paolo Sabbatini, Viticulturist (Michigan State University), and Dr. Dan Ward, Fruit and Grape Extension Specialist (Rutgers University). I posted the announcement and registration form to my web site at http://www.ca.uky.edu/HLA/Dunwell/ViticultureConferenceFall2009.pdf

October 6, 2009

HORTMEMO 10

TO: Horticulturists interested in Ornamental Horticulture

FROM: Win Dunwell, Extension Horticulturist

SUBJECT: Miscellaneous Information and Announcements.

Chris Summer described Tsuga canadensis 'Scotty Perry' as his pick for LNA Plant of the Month for September 2009. I took some images of it and with them and a written narrative of what he said and posted them to http://www.ca.uky.edu/HLA/Dunwell/TsugaScottyPerry.html

I was visiting with Mitchell Leichhardt and learned of an extremely fragrant David Austin Rose ‘Gertrude Jekyll’ that was growing in his garden. The rose is named for the great garden designer Gertrude Jekyll (pronounced JEE-kəl), a rose fancier who wrote Roses for English Gardens that is available free online. I am not sure if a large shrub rose is everyone’s cup of tea but the flower is very pretty and the true rose fragrance is worthy. See at http://www.ca.uky.edu/HLA/Dunwell/RosaGertrudeJekyll.html

I was embarrassed to learn the seed pod on a plant in Heritage Seedlings stock block that I asked Mark Krautman, the Stewartia specialist, to identify was Stewartia pseudocamellia. I guess I need to evaluate Stewartias for west Kentucky to see which survive, bloom and produce seed. Currently we have none in gardens. Thankfully, being older, I am not longer afraid to ask what something is and just smile at the embarrassment having learned something in the process. Mark told Dewayne Ingram and I while at his nursery that he liked the Carpinus betulus ‘Pinoccheo’ that is lakeside at Bernheim. Dirr mentions that plant and that is was from Arborvillage, Holt, MO and there is a specimen at the JC Raulston Arboretum. Anyone have it? Why is Pinocchio in the Carlinus name spelled with an e? Mark mentioned the means he uses to select his plant product mix along the lines of J.C.’s rationale: 1. Be a nursery plant; 2. Easy to propagate, grows well; 3. Has values consumer wants.

Mark Elzinga of Elzinga & Hoeksema Greenhouses a bedding plant grower, has developed the New Millennium Greenhouse production site with a $4 million investment in geothermal, solar, wind, and energy-efficiency technologies to grow organic produce. In his presentation he said there were “a lot of snake oil salesmen out there” so one had to study, learn --- “Sustainability is a continuous journey, it is constantly changing—“. And while his business is “profit driven” he has made his employees into a “green team” constantly checking for ways to improve. Most of his technology is applicable to ornamental plant production and he applies as much of the technology as possible to produce his bedding plant crops.

September 9, 2009

HORTMEMO 9

TO: Horticulturists interested in Ornamental Horticulture

SUBJECT: Miscellaneous Information and Announcements.

On the drive to the KNLA Summer Outing I saw the biggest planting of Eupatorium purpureum, Joe Pye weed, ever at around mile marker 80 along the south side of the West Kentucky Parkway. The plants are thick for several miles in the areas disturbed to move the tree line back from the road bed. There was a diversity that was incredible some of the heads where probably 3 feet high.

If you are interested in “Making Cents”; Charlie Hall has a blog http://ellisonchair.blogspot.com/ that is pretty useful. You can subscribe and get the updates as they are posted. I find it to be a very professional and interesting.

And so I have joined the social networking environment. I am just getting started and have yet to really learn how to make the best use of Twitter and Facebook. I think Twitter will be the primary site I will try to post to with some regularity and you can get to it at http://twitter.com/WDunwellUKNCDC

I went to the Far West Show and while wandering through the new plants booth was surprised to see Mike Haymen’s Nyssa ‘Hayman’s Red’, Red Rage™ featured. People got to vote on which plants they liked the best from the many in the area. I also saw Tom Ranney’s Hydrangea arborescens Invincibelle™ Spirit Hydrangea, Hydrangea arborescens 'NCHA1' PPAF CBRAF

Introduced by Proven Winners® ColorChoice® Bred by Dr. Tim Ranney, North Carolina State University, Zones 3-9, Available as liners from Spring Meadow Nursery, Inc. in Spring 2010 and some nurseries will have #1 and #2 containers available in 2010. Check it out at http://www.colorchoiceplants.com/invincibelle.htm or my picture from a smaller plant in the show at http://www.ca.uky.edu/HLA/Dunwell/HydrangeaarborescensInvincibelle.jpg

I was also intrigued by Keith Warren’s Carpinus ‘Wireless’ for under powerlines. It flat tops if not forced to a central leader. See at http://www.ca.uky.edu/HLA/Dunwell/CarpinusWireless.jpg

While we are on-line I learned a lot about e-marketing garden centers from Phil Adikes’ presentation. I have since put some of my web pages on Google Analytics to monitor usage. Phil’s presentation was animated and very interesting. I will use some of what he and Bridget Behe presented on my site. I will share a few bullets in future issues and on Twitter. Phil’s site is http://gardencenternews.com

July 31, 2009
HORTMEMO 8

Mike Dirr’s new Sixth Edition of the Manual of Woody Landscape Plants: Their Identification, Ornamental Characteristics, Culture, Propagation, and Uses is now available. As soon as I heard this great news from Bill Fountain, UK Professor who teaches woody plant identification, I ordered a copy from Stipes Publishing. So far I have noticed a few changes; a favorite plant of Tony Nold, the late Buddy Hubbuch, and Ben Cecil, Euonymus sachalinensis (fr. Schmift), is now E. planipes (Koehne) and a plant given to me as part of a Will Witte plant distribution at the 1993 Southern Plant Conference in Chattanooga, TN as E. japonicas ‘Bekkomasaki’ not listed in the last “Dirr’s Manual” is listed in this one as E. japonicus ‘Benkomasaki’. I have given credence to Mike and changed the label. I believe Will said he got his from J.C. Raulston Arboretum in 1987. And so it is, I have had it in my hands just one day and already looking up my favorites and moving my comments from the last edition to this one. Fun stuff!

The American Society for Horticultural Science met in St. Louis this week and I was interested by several presentations (will mention others in a later HortMemo) one that caught my attention was by Henderson, KY native Kyle Daniel, OSU Graduate Student with Hannah Mathers and Luke Case. To quote a statement in the abstract “Roundup Original and Roundup Pro exhibited the greatest number of cracks between all Genus of trees, while the Kleenup Pro and Scythe exhibited less cracks. This could be attributed to the increased surfactant contained within the Roundup products.” We have been discussing this issue in the past; at Amy Fulchers IPM Workshop 2008 I based part of my bark cracking presentation on Dr. Hannah Mathers ONLA March 2008 The Buckeye article “Let Them See Their Mothers: Eluding the Roundup Tragedy”. Dr. Mathers in essence r ecommended to minimize Glyphosate Injury: 1) Use Glyphosate with no adjuvant load. 2) Calibrate Spray Equipment. 3) Apply the correct amount of Glyphosate. 4) Two passes in rows to prevent overspray. 5) Take extra caution spraying near thin barked trees. I have posted her Table 1. Registered Glyphosate Products 2006: that tells whether a product has an adjuvant load or not.

I visited Forest Keeling Nursery while in St. Louis for the ASHS meeting. We grow our oak seedlings in a pot that is 14 inches long they grow theirs in a 2.5x2.5x2.5 inch pot including giant seeded ones like Bur Oak. I was impressed by the size of their plants in a short time. It was a great tour with Wayne Lovelace, his daughter Kim and container grower Lupe. Visiting his seed orchard soon to be spaced at 40 feet between trees told me I need to space out my “Gilbertsville” willow oak orchard (6’ centers).

June 30, 2009

HORTMEMO 7

Half-Rate Pesticide Application for Nurseries Workshop is July 14, 2009 from 10:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. EDT at Green Ridge Tree Farm, 6100 Bardstown Road, Elizabethtown, KY 42701. Those involved in the trials have stated that it is a very powerful demonstration with potential for financial savings and increased pesticide application effectiveness. For a registration form go to: http://www.ca.uky.edu/HLA/Dunwell/Half-RatePestWrkshp2009.pdf

Amy Fulcher is the organizer of the Nursery Crops Regional IPM group attempting to identify the top pest problems nursery crop growers deal with during production and identify limitations to optimum control levels, in order to develop and provide useful control guidelines and tools you can quickly access (online & in-print). Please, please take a few minutes to fill in the Southeast Region Pest Management Practices Survey of current pest management (insect, disease, & weed) practices and grower pest management information/method needs. The survey is at http://tinyurl.com/KYipmsurvey

The UK College of Agriculture All-Commodity Field Day at Princeton program and flyers are on line at http://ces.ca.uky.edu/wkrec/ see you Thursday, July 23, 2009, 8:00 am to 3:00 pm.

AJ Powell’s UK Turfgrass Research Field Day is at the Spindletop Farm, Lexington, KY July 9, 2009 from 8:30 am – 12:45 pm. Pesticide Recertification Credits for each one hour tour for Categories 3, 10, 12, 18, 20. For information http://www.uky.edu/Ag/ukturf/

WATCH FOR - Poison Hemlock: A Growing Concern in Kentucky, an article by J. D. Green in Kentucky Pest News calls for another spring use of 2,4-D besides the treatments for Roundup-resistant Marestail, Conyza Canadensis, (see Martin and Witt, http://www.uky.edu/Ag/kpn/kpn_02/pn020520.htm) that have increased spring spraying of 2,4-D resulting in distorted plants, losses due to aesthetically unsaleable plants, loss of growth (normally a season), and a lack of uniformity in plantings. J. D. wrote in KPN, number 1200, June 16, 2009, “In grass pastures and hayfields herbicide products containing 2,4-D can be effective when applied to young, actively growing plants in the rosette stage of growth. Spot treatments with products containing 2,4-D, triclopyr, or glyphosate can also be used depending on the location.” I like the mention of spot treatments and that glyphosate is effective and would be preferred to the volatile 2,4-D for control of Poison Hemlock (Conium maculatum).

Joe Swanson Daylily Collection at the UKREC. Joe was a surveyor that bred daylilies and other plants on the corner of Milano and Octavian Streets in Lexington, KY. He moved after retirement and I lost track of him. I have nine of his daylilies (see below). We would like to maintain Kentucky daylily breeders collections. To have what I think will be a complete Joe Swanson collection I need Hemerocallis 'Milano Dawn', H. 'Milano', H. 'Milano Fiesta', H. 'Octavian Rumbley', H. 'Octavian Ballerina', H. 'Octavian Pink Lady', H. 'Octavian Princess', H. 'Octavian Scroll'. We have at the UKREC Botanic Garden Daylily display bed Joe Swanson daylilies: H. 'Milano Maraschino', H. 'Milano Rocket', H. 'Milano Violet Mark', H. 'Octavian Cherry Doll', H. 'Octavian Exotic Marble', H. 'Octavian Glow', H. 'Octavian Marble Model' and H. 'Octavian Marble Ring'. We would also like to have his Chrysanthemum 'Milano Pink'. The Octavian precursor in the name indicates a diploid daylily and the Milano means the plant is triploid.

June 9, 2009

HORTMEMO 6

Kentuckiana Greenhouse Growers will meet Thursday, June 25, 2009 from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm at the BFG Supply Co., Louisville Branch, 4848 Jennings Lane, Louisville, KY (866.940.3779. Speakers are Roger Fiest, OFA past Pres.; Mike McCabe, OFA President; and Rebecca Schnelle, UK Professor for Greenhouse Crops. Contact Karen Shahan for more information; 859.257.7294; e-mail, kshahan@uky.edu or Rebecca Schnelle, 859.257.4721; e-mail, rebecca.schnelle@uky.edu.

The UK and OSU Half-Rate Pesticide Application for Nurseries Workshop is July 14, 2009 at Green Ridge Tree Farm, 6100 Bardstown Road, Elizabethtown, KY 42701. To see the program and registration form go to http://www.ca.uky.edu/HLA/Dunwell/Half-RatePestWrkshp2009.pdf

We need you to complete a pest management survey at http://tinyurl.com/KYipmsurvey in order to make developing a multi-state pest management strategic plan a success. All Pest management survey responses are anonymous and kept confidential.

The nursery crop group at the University of Kentucky is working with a regional group of Extension specialists from GA, SC, NC, & TN to survey current pest (insect, disease, & weed) management practices and current pest priorities of growers in southeastern, wholesale, ornamental nurseries. The project is funded by the Southern Region Integrated Pest Management Center (SRIPMC) and supported by the Kentucky Nursery and Landscape Association (KNLA) and by each cooperating state’s nursery and landscape trade organization.

This insight into current and emerging pest priorities will allow research and Extension professionals to design their programs to investigate and resolve the most pressing pest issues in the green industry.

Your time and effort to complete the survey will allow us to develop a multi-state crop profile (CP) and pest management strategic plan (PMSP). The pest management tools produced will be available in print and on-line.

Completion and submission of the survey is implied consent. All responses are anonymous and confidential. Your efforts will benefit you, as well as benefit other growers in Kentucky and the southeast.

Thank you for your time to fill in the survey from the Regional Nursery Science Working Group: Amy Fulcher and Dr. Win Dunwell, University of Kentucky; Drs. Anthony LeBude, Joe Neal, Kelly Ivors, and Steven Frank, NCSU, and Craig Adkins, NCSU Cooperative Extension; Drs. Sarah White, JC Chong, and Steven Jeffers, Clemson University; Drs. Matthew Chappell, Kris Braman, and Jean Williams-Woodward, University of Georgia; Drs. Alan Windham and Frank Hale, University of Tennessee.

The IPM Nursery Crops workshop held at Oldham County Extension Office and River Farm Nursery was fantastic. Dr. Dan Herms exposed some myths such as – recommending fertilizing plants to increase resistance to pests when research has shown that the plant trades energy for pest resistance for growth. Dr. Greg Schwab, UK Soil Scientist shared information about soils and nitrogen enhancers being using in agricultural applications. Amy Fulcher the program organizer and presenter talked about Nitrogen basics. Then to River Farm Nursery where Pat Carey had set up demonstrations including allowing for scouting his nursery and digging a huge hole in the ground so Dr. Schwab could show and tell about fragipans and their influence on crop production. This program was definitely “worthy” as reported by all in attendance including me.

It is with regret that I announce that Dr. Gerald “Jerry” R. Brown, retired University of Kentucky Professor and Fruit Extension Specialist passed away May 30, 2009. Jerry was truly special; following a bicycle accident that left him a tetraplegic he showed a remarkable resilient spirit. Over the years we at the UKREC would look forward to hearing from Jerry and his visits and attendance at our functions were special treats. We will and do miss him; we promise to keep his memory alive.

May 11, 2009

HORTMEMO 5a

The Nursery Crops IPM 2009 Workshop with Dr. Dan Herms, Entomology OSU, Amy Fulcher, UK Horticulture and Dr. Greg Schwab, UK Plant and Soil Science will beThursday, June 4, 2009; 0800-1600. The Workshop will start at the Oldham County Extension Office, 1815 North Highway 393, La Grange, KY 40031-8632, 502.222.9453 and end with hands-on scouting at River Farm Nursery. CEUs have been applied for. The contact and organizer of this meeting is Amy Fulcher, 859.257.1273 e-mail afulcher@uky.edu, for program and registration information and form: http://www.ca.uky.edu/HLA/Dunwell/NurseryCropsIPMWorkshop.pdf

Amy Fulcher sent out an e-mail about --- “the UK Nursery Crops program working in collaboration with USDA and Ohio State University to implement air blast sprayer calibrations and a half-rate pesticide program. This is a program that has been widely successful in nurseries in Ohio and has saved growers money due to reduced pesticide costs as well as has tremendous environmental benefits. We will be hosting a program at a central KY nursery (TBA) on July 14 th, 2009 and want to invite growers and extension professionals from all crops that use air assisted sprayers to participate. I will send promotional material in a month or two, but I appreciate any mention of the program that you can make in newsletters in the way of a “save the date”.” Once again CEUs will be applied for.

Eastern Region International Plant Propagator’s will have their annual meeting in Cleveland, OH. ER IPPS is soliciting propagation or production practice posters for this meeting. The poster chairman is Vern Black, Bailey Nurseries, Inc., 1325 Bailey Road, St. Paul, MN 55119: 800.829.8898 x 360 Fax: 800.829.8894; e-mail: vern.black@baileynursery.com I have posted the form and instructions online at http://www.ca.uky.edu/HLA/Dunwell/2009IPPSPosterForms09.pdf

Zone 4 Magazine has a blog spot that some might find of interest; mostly for those that live in the Rocky Mountain area and other cold areas Zone 4 areas of the country http://www.zone4magazine.blogspot.com/

April 30, 2009

HORTMEMO 4

Western Kentucky Sports Turf Workshop will offer pesticide certification and CEUs one specific Cat 10, 12, & 20 and two general CEU’s). The workshop with A.J. Powell, Tom Miller, Doug Vescio, and Marcus Dean UK Athletics will be May 21, 2009 at Mike Miller Park and Marshall County High School, Benton, KY. Lincoln Martin, Marshall County ANR Extension Agent, is the contact person and can be reached at 270.527.3286; e-mail, lmartin@uky.edu

2009Theodore Klein Plant Award Winners
Calycanthus 'Hartlage Wine' – Hartlage Wine Sweetshrub
Magnolia × loebneri ‘Leonard Messel’ – Leonard Messel Magnolia
Platanus x acerifolia 'Yarwood' – Yarwood Planetree
Nepeta‘Walker’s Low’ – Walker’s Low Catnip
Panicum virgatum‘Cloud Nine’– Cloud Nine Switchgrass

It is bloom time for our collection of the late UK Professor Dr. Herbert “Bert” Mohr and his sons Kenneth and David’s Irises. They just pop one day with the spring rains and a rainy day is when they are at their very best. Bert’s best Iris is ‘Bride’s Halo’ a gold edged ruffled white; the first of its type and therefore fairly famous in the Iris world. Stop by and see the collection in the beds around the UK Research and Education Center.

UKREC plants of interest now are: Newport Viburnum, Viburnum plicatum ‘Newport’ a dwarf or compact form of Japanese Snowball bush; Tinkerbelle® Lilac, Syringa ‘Bailibelle’ is a hybrid pink (white throat) flowering fragrant lilac cross between Syringa meyeri ‘Palibin’ and Syringa pubescens subsp. microphylla ‘Superba’; Syringa meyeri ‘Palibin’ has done very well in our garden (Amy says in Nursery Update that the lilac borers are emerging); Viburnum carlesii, Koreanspice viburnum fits the “must have” plant for any garden because of its wonderful pleasant fragrance; Viburnum ‘Conoy’ a plant with a dense bloom is great looking but the missing fragrance would send one to another USNA plant Viburunum ‘Mohawk’ for bloom density and a bit of fragrance; Paeonia ‘Summer Prelude’ from Song Sparrow Nursery has a spicy fragrance while Paeonia ‘Coral Fay’ a gift from Doctor/breeder/nurseryman/author Allan Rogers, is bright red with a yellow center and is strongly fragrant; Fothergilla ‘Red Licorice’ blooms a bit, maybe a week, after Fothergilla ‘Mt Airy’ here in Princeton; almost forgot Sophora davidii which is very fine in bloom this year.

The Journal of Environmental Horticulture is online and searchable. I went wild reading older articles related to some current research projects. Go to: http://www.hriresearch.org/index.cfm?page=Content&categoryID=174

March 12, 2009

HORTMEMO 3a

HortMemo 3a is being sent out in mid-month as a supplement to share the interesting information put out by Jeffrey W. Stringer, PhD, UKCA Professor for Hardwood Silviculture and Forest Operations and other members of the Department of Forestry. 3 extension fact sheets on ice damage to trees and woodlands available from forestry extension:

1. FORFS 09-01 Ice Damage – Safety in the Woods http://www.ca.uky.edu/forestryextension/PDF/Ice%20damage/FORFS09-01.pdf

2. FORFS 09-02 Ice Damage – Timber Salvage Decisions http://www.ca.uky.edu/forestryextension/PDF/Ice%20damage/FORFS09-02.pdf

3. FORFS 09-03 Ice Damage – Managing Woodland Damage and Health http://www.ca.uky.edu/forestryextension/PDF/Ice%20damage/FORFS09-03.pdf

also at the web site containing these publications http://www.ca.uky.edu/forestryextension/kyicepublications.html

is a Kentucky Department of Forestry publication Managing Ice Damage for Forest Stands http://www.ca.uky.edu/forestryextension/PDF/Ice%20damage/managingicedamagedforeststands_KDF.pdf

All this information can be found at http://www.kyicedamage.net or http://www.ukforestry.org

The Perennial Plant Association has selected Hakonechloa macra ‘Aureola’ as 2009 Perennial Plant of the Year. The Theodore Klein Plant Award program selected it in 2005 and our description can be found at http://www.ca.uky.edu/HLA/Dunwell/HakmacAureola.html For the Perennial Plant Association poster go to http://www.perennialplant.org/ppy/2009_POY.pdf

The American Public Gardens Association (APGA) http://www.publicgardens.org , and Rain Bird, http://rainbird.com the leading manufacturer and provider of irrigation products and services, announced today a partnership to celebrate the role of America's public gardens in educating the public on the importance of environmental preservation through the formation of the first National Public Gardens Day, May 8, 2009.

February 28, 2009

HORTMEMO 2

Amy Fulcher won the Southern IPM Future Leader award. In making the presentation Jim VanKirk, Director, Southern Region IPM Center stated the award is improperly titled for this year’s recipient “ Amy Fulcher is a Current IPM Leader”. I could not agree more!

The University of Kentucky Research and Education Center All-Commodity Field Day will be Thursday, July 23, 2009 at the UKREC, Princeton, KY. Contact: Win Dunwell, P.O. Box 469, Princeton, KY 42445; 270.365.7541 x 209, Fax 270.365.2667; e-mail, wdunwell@uky.edu

Does anyone grow or know anyone who grows Platanus x acerifolia 'Sutternii' ? (Earl Cully, Heritage Trees, Inc called in that Jason Tabor of Anna Nursery is growing some from materials Earl supplied)

I previously mentioned enjoying the late plantsman J. C. Raulston’s sabbatical travelogue archived in the Friends of the NCSU Arboretum Newsletters http://www.ncsu.edu/jcraulstonarboretum/publications/newsletters/newsletters.php In the process of reviewing the new 2009 paperback edition of Dan Hinkley’s 1999 The Explorers Garden: Rare and Unusual Perennials I found on his website equally interesting travelogues and essays http://danielhinkley.com/

I got a chuckle reading the great article Cultivating plants and Friendships in the February 2009 Digger magazine on Roger and Arda Berryhill’s 46 years running their Berryhill Nursery that we have visited with UK Horticulture and Landscape Architecture students several times. The reason for the chuckle is Arda is quoted “I suppose a lot of us in the nursery business would be more successfully financially if we didn’t love plants so much.” true or not? Your call. She also indicates that “Changes in market, technology drive the industry”: stating that they started their business with the then new technology of container growing; now do more pot-in-pot and have recognized recent demand for natives. In the same Digger there is an article by Elizabeth Peterson Customers turn to what’s green in which she states “Sustainable living, staying at home and growing your own food are among the hot trends for 2009.”

In the process of logging in to the Green Industry Knowledge Center I thought what a great resource for the Kentucky nursery/landscape industry. On the Home page one reads “We are an interdisciplinary group of research and extension professionals who are dedicated to provide you with up-to-date, unbiased information on a range of production issues associated with the commercial nursery and greenhouse agricultural industries. Our Mission: To provide best management practice information for the cultural production, technological and engineering challenges which producers and industry professionals may face, growing ornamental crops in the eastern region of the United States. Our Vision: To help nursery and greenhouse growers and allied industries stay informed, improve production practices, protect the environment and maintain profitability.” The many resources can be found at http://www.waternut.org/index.html

January 22, 2009

HORTMEMO 1

Amy Fulcher’s 2009 IPM Calendar for Deciduous Tree Production has been posted to and is in printable form at: http://www.ca.uky.edu/HLA/Dunwell/2009IPMDeciduousTreeProduction.pdf

THE Nursery Winter Workshop will be February 10, 2009 and will focus on fertilizer and soil management for the nursery. The topics will focus on soils, fertility, cover crops and amendments. This is one of the Nursery workshops and short courses organized by the UK Nursery Crops Working Group with support from the Kentucky Horticulture Council and Kentucky Integrated Pest Management. For the program and registration form go to: http://www.ca.uky.edu/HLA/Dunwell/winternursery09wkshp.pdf or contact Christi Forsythe by calling 270.365.7541 x 221 or e-mail cforsyth@uky.edu

The 1st 2009 Louisville Nursery Association Meeting will be hosted by Mike Brown of John Deere Landscapes, 4341 Security Parkway, New Albany, IN 47150. The meeting will be Wednesday, February 11, 2009, with a 5:30-6:00 p.m. EST Social Hour followed by a 6:15 p.m. EST Dinner; then a 7:00 p.m. program on Unusual Conifers by Don Blocker of McHutchinson, Inc.. The popular "Plant of the Month" presentation will follow the program. For more information contact: Caroline Westfall, 502.895.9168; e-mail, lounurseryassoc@bellsouth.net or Mike Brown, 812.949.3060

Plants in the UKREC Botanic Garden: I have been surprised that we still have an Euonymus japonica ‘Bekko Masaki’ it is now about 15 years old and looks great and in spite of repeated winter freeze damage, it tolerated the April 2007 freeze and is now 4 foot tall and 18 inches wide in the shade of a Cornus mas ‘Spring Glow’ we got from J. C. Raulston that is a “pride and joy plant” with it’s 2 months of yellow winter bloom. I grew an Idesia polycarpa from seed I picked up at Wave Hill many years ago. It has not produced the fruit it is known for and has suffered dieback in the poor soil, open sun environment. My “precious” Carpinus turczaninovii I got from Lee Squires, Cave Hill Cemetery was so severely damaged by the April 2007 freeze that it was removed in the fall of 2008. The branch tips of our Lagerstroemia fauriei ‘Kiowa’ were damaged by the April freeze but have grown out. The wonderful exfoliating cinnamon bark of ‘Kiowa’ is spectacular and makes it worth growing. ‘Kiowa’ has not impressed us with it’s short season white bloom. We are really excited that Paul Saunders, the man who distributed boxwood cultivars for the National Boxwood Trials and prepared Boxwood: Choosing the Best, National Boxwood Trial Report 2006, stopped by with plants to add to our boxwood collection.