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THE NEWS 



The 1998 Gary Awards 



The Worcester County Horticul- 

 tural Society, in cooperation with 

 the IVlassachusetts Nursery and 

 Landscape Association continues 

 to develop a program to highlight 

 woody plants especially appropri- 

 ate to New England. The criteria 

 are that the plant must be hardy 

 within two of New England's four 

 growing zones, it must be appro- 

 priate for landscape use, it must 

 be exceptional, season-extending 

 and available. 



A committee made up of horti- 

 culturalists from various New En- 

 gland nurseries, botanic gardens, 

 and universities has honored four 

 plants with a Gary Award for 1998. 

 (All descriptions are from Dirr's 

 Manual of Woody Landscape Plants. 

 1983 edition). 



Hydrangea anomala suhsp. petiolaris. 

 This climbing hydrangea is an ex- 

 cellent vine — one of the best — for 

 massive effect on brick or stone 

 walls, arbors, or any free structure. 

 (It becomes quite large and quite 

 woody, so it needs ample sup- 

 port.) Hardy in zones 4 to 7, al- 

 though somewhat slow to develop 

 after transplanting, the extra cul- 

 tural care required in its estab- 

 lishment is rewarded many times 

 over in the glossy dark green 

 leaves that stay green into late 

 fall, rich cinnamon-brown bark 

 (older stems develop an exfoliat- 

 ing character), and fragrant 6-to- 

 10-inch white blossoms (late |une, 

 early |uly). 



Ilex verticillata Red Sprite.' Al- 

 though 'Red Sprite' was not 

 among the cultivars listed by Dirr, 

 1. verticillata is commonly known as 

 winterberry or black alder. Hardy 

 in zones 3 to 9, this familiar 6-to- 

 10-foot twiggy, multistemmed de- 

 ciduous native to our swamps is 

 best known for its bright red ber- 

 ries that ripen in late summer and 

 last into January (depending on 



the birds). The species is suscep- 

 tible to leaf spots and powdery 

 mildew, prefers a more acid soil, 

 requires a male and female for 

 fruit set; the berries are spectacu- 

 lar, especially against the snow. 



Magnolia x loebneri 'Leonard Mes- 

 sel.' Magnolia x loebneri is the result 

 of a cross made between M. korbus 

 and M. slellata (both among the 

 earliest magnolias to flower and 

 both hardy to zone 3), by Max 

 Lobner of Pilnitz, Germany, before 

 World War \. 'Leonard IVlessel' is a 

 chance hybrid raised in Colonel 

 Messel's garden at Nymans, Sus- 

 sex, England; the 12 petals are 

 flushed with a purple-pink line 

 running along their centers; blos- 

 som peaks in late April. 



Rhododendron vasyi. Pinkshell aza- 

 lea grows 5-to-lO-feet in height, 

 habit is irregular upright; foliage 

 (medium green in summer chang- 

 ing to light red in fall) is decidu- 

 ous. Flowers are clear rose and 

 bell-shaped, blossoming before 

 the leaves appear (early to mid- 

 May. Hardy in zones 4 through 8, 

 it has no fragrance, but is spec- 

 tacular when in flower. 



For nomination forms (any per- 

 son can nominate plants for this 

 award) and information about pro- 

 motional materials for the 1998 

 selections, write to The Cary 

 Award: Distinctive Plants for New 

 England, Worcester County Horti- 

 cultural Society, Tower Hill 

 Botanic Garden, 1 1 French Drive, 

 PO Box 598, Boylston, MA 01505- 

 0598. Or you can call Mic-hael 

 Arnum at 508-869-6111, ext. II. 



1998 All-America Rose 

 Selections 



All-America Rose Selections has 

 announced four winners — two hy- 

 brid teas, a grandiflora, and an 

 ever-blooming shrub rose — for 

 1998. 



'Fame!,' a vigorous grandiflora 



introduced by Bear Creek Gar- 

 dens, has 4 I/2-inch flowers with 

 30-35 petals. Deep pink blooms 

 are lightly scented; foliage, dark 

 green and glossy. 



'Opening Night' is a "classic 

 deep red hybrid tea rose." It 

 grows upright to five feet and has 

 dark green, semi-glossy foliage 

 and slightly fragrant 4 I/2-inch 

 flowers with 25-30 petals. Bear 

 Creek Gardens is again the intro- 

 ducer. 



First Light,' an ever-blooming 

 shrub rose introduced by DeVor 

 Nurseries, is notable for a com- 

 pact, rounded habit appropriate 

 for more restricted areas. Clusters 

 of spice-scented five-to-seven-pet- 

 aled, light pink flowers with con- 

 trasting purple stamens stand out 

 against bright green foliage. 



"Sunset Celebration,' a hybrid 

 tea introduced by Weeks Roses, 

 has 4 I/2-to-5 I/2-inch, 25-to-30- 

 petal blossoms that vary in color 

 from "apricot burnished with 

 cream, amber-orange blushed with 

 pink, and — occasionally — warm, 

 rich peach," depending on locale. 

 Fruity fragrance, deep green foli- 

 age, and long stems are other 

 traits. 



These roses will be available to 

 customers in spring, 1998. For 

 more information (hardiness, etc.), 

 contact All-America Rose Selec- 

 tions, 221 North LaSalle Street, 

 Chicago, Illinois 60601; the phone 

 number is 312-372-7090. 



A Medal of Excellence 



{Greenhouse Grower, June, 1997) 



Each year Greenhouse Grower recog- 

 nizes outstanding efforts by today's 

 flower breeders by awarding a 

 medal of excellence. I997's medal 

 has been given to American 

 Takii's Fantasy Linaria series, "the 

 most exciting new cool crop to hit 

 the fall and early spring bedding 

 plant market in a long time." 



AUGUST «. SEPTEMBER 1997 



