SHRUBS AND TREES 



Acer pensylvankum and Acer spicatum (moosewood and 

 mountain maple) are dominant understory species in 

 much of the northern forests and deserve more use 

 in our planted landscapes. The soft green leaves and 

 early catkins of Corylus americana (American filbert) 

 make it another worthwhile addition to upland forest 

 edges or fencerows. Plus, we can enjoy the edible 

 fruits in late summer. 



Typical of dry open woods, old fields, and oak or 

 pine barrens and hardy to Zone 3b, Ceanotfius 

 amerkanus (New jersey tea) is a small dense shrub (3 

 ft) with small, slightly fragrant white blossoms in late 

 June which are particularly attractive to butterflies. 

 Other choice native wildlife plants include the Vibur- 

 nums. Wiburnum acerifolium (mapleleaf viburnum) and 

 Viburnum nudum var. cassinoides (witherod viburnum) are 



tolerant of a wide range of shady conditions from 

 moist to dry. Highly desirable in the nursery trade, 

 but not common because it is best grown from seed 

 rather than rooted cuttings. Viburnum alnifolium 

 (hobblebush) is one of the most common understory 

 shrubs in northern New Hampshire, and well-adapted 

 to cool, moist woodlands throughout the northeast. 



This is just a small sampling of the possibilities. 

 Try some and make a statement about where you live. 



Contact Cheryl Lowe at 508-877-7630 ext. 3401 or 

 lowe@newfs.org if you are interested in donating plants or 

 helping with the AIVIC Pinkham Notch project. If you are a 

 commercial nursery and interested in NEWFS's experiences 

 propagating any of these plants, please contact the Nursery 

 Manager at 508-877-7630 ext. 3402 or email at 

 cullina@newfs.org. 



m 



THE GREEN SPOT 



The Power of the Pinch 



NEWS FLASH: an informal real-life techniques 

 trial performed by The Green Spot, Ltd., during 

 the summer of 1997 revealed that hand-picking can 

 be an effective means of insect control. The details 

 follow... 



An 8'x6' plot of nasturtiums was planted from 

 fiats In an on-site garden. Roughly two weeks after 

 the planting and after growth had begun, a scout- 

 ing regimen was employed. The plot was thor- 

 oughly scouted once a week, utilizing 0.05 man- 

 hours (three minutes) per visit. Plant problems, dis- 

 eases, and pests were monitored. 



By scouting session number four, a smattering of 

 black bean aphlds was noted, instead of employing 

 biological controls, as had been done in past tri- 

 als, or spraying, as might have been done other- 

 wise, we kind of took matters Into our own 

 hands — literally: the pests were pinched to death. 

 (This required the expenditure of an additional 

 0.09 man-hours.) 



Granted, this action did leave some black "resi- 

 due" (which washed off with the next rain) on 

 some of the leaves, but was entirely effective 

 against the pests at hand. 



The scouting resumed and on two additional oc- 

 casions — the next two weeks, more bean aphlds 

 were introduced to the bright, white light. Thereaf- 

 ter, however, no more aphlds were found. The 



ones which were crushed were the pilgrims from 

 which new families would have sprung forth. 



Normally, without the scouting and pinching, 

 the aphlds would have reproduced and developed 

 Into a full-blown bean aphid Infestation which 

 could have caused considerable damage to the 

 plants. But all that was changed by our actions. 

 The crop turned out to be the best we've ever 

 had: no pests, no damage, lots of flowers and 

 beautiful foliage. 



To us, this seemed the answer to a specific 

 pest control problem. Good timing and a tiny 

 amount of labor proved to be a solution of epic 

 proportions. But Is this set of techniques appli- 

 cable to the grower In a large operation? From the 

 perspective of labor, the answer will probably be 

 an emphatic NO. But Isn't It ail relative? 



For us, the entire process — Including eradica- 

 tion and continued scouting — cost less than two 

 man-hours (or |ust over two minutes per square 

 foot) for season-long control and a perfect crop. 

 No matter how it is sliced. It seems good scout- 

 ing and immediate and manual response works. 



Mike Cherim is president of The Green Spot, Ltd., 

 Department of Bio-\ngenuity, 93 Priest Road, 

 Nottingham, NH 03290-6204. The phone number is 

 603-942-8925. 



THE PLANTSMAN 



