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| Lucile Whitman |
I met the likable Lucile Whitman about
38 years ago, just after she arrived in Oregon from Tennessee. I
can't remember the reason for my initial visit to her Salem-area
nursery – I suppose she had something for sale – but back then
her nursery was little more than a few fruit trees and some dirt
clods. Maybe my purpose was to scrounge around the bareroot nursery
that was next door, but that entity was forgettable while the
estimable Ms. Whitman was most memorable. I suppose what impressed me
most was that Lucile was a one-woman show, which was an oddity at
that time in Oregon's nursery industry. And, I admit, I fell for her
southern drawl.
Before long Lucile's informal nut and
fruit tree farm expanded into growing unusual ornamental trees, and
she produced them in either containers or in root-control bags in the
ground. I experimented with the new grow-bag technology but it didn't
seem to fit into my program, but I certainly see its advantages where
any unskilled laborer could pop a tree out of the ground at any time
of the year.
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| Ginkgo biloba 'Fandancer' |
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| Morus macroura |
Lucile's business proved successful
because she produced new and unusual plants, and that, along with her
charming personality, insured that she would maintain a loyal
customer base. In contrast – in my case – my trees have to carry
the entire load. I can visit Whitman farms at any time, but I took
advantage of the Maple Society's itinerary, so I sat back on the huge
bus loaded with fellow plant geeks. The previous day we toured a much
larger, more organized and apparently much more profitable company,
but I suspect that most of the society had a better time at Lucile's,
so let's see what I found:
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| Asimina triloba 'Sunflower' |
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| Asimina triloba |
Naturally what impressed me most was
the wide-ranging display of autumn color, in particular with a
specimen of Asimina triloba 'Sunflower'. I have one
15-year-old tree of the common “pawpaw,” a deciduous eastern
North American shrub, but it has yet to bear fruit, probably because
of a lack of cross pollination. Lucile's cultivar 'Sunflower' may
have been named for the golden-yellow autumn color or perhaps for the
large fruit with yellow flesh. This cultivar produces few seeds and
ripens in about September; the taste is like that of bananas, but it
is understandable that children and other first-time consumers are
somewhat leery of its custardy taste and texture, kind of like my
children's aversion to figs and papayas. Indeed, when eaten raw it
can produce nausea in some people, so it is best introduced in
moderate amounts in ice cream or pies. The generic name comes from
colonial French asiminier, and that from Native American
assimen, while the specific epithet triloba refers to
the flowers' three-lobed calices. The common name of pawpaw is
probably from the American tropical fruit called papaya
(Carica papaya) by the Spanish. For what it's worth, pawpaw fruit was
a favorite dessert of President George Washington, and even President
Thomas Jefferson had it planted at Monticello in Virginia.
C'mon everybody, let's sing:
Where, oh where is dear little
Nellie?
Where, oh where is dear little
Nellie?
Where, oh where is dear little
Nellie?
Way down yonder in the pawpaw patch.
Pickin' up pawpawpaws, put 'em in
your pocket
Pickin' up pawpawpaws, put 'em in
your pocket
Pickin' up pawpawpaws, put 'em in
your pocket
Way down yonder in the pawpaw patch.
I could almost fiddle-dance to that
tune with Lucile.
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| Acer buergerianum 'Integrifolia' |
I encountered a trident maple where the
label read Acer buergerianum 'Integrifolia', but the name, from Latin
integer meaning “entire” (leaf margins) and folium
for “leaf,” is usually used for a species or subspecies, not for
a cultivar. Lucile was occupied with other customers so I couldn't
ask about her source. I know that the buergerianum species is
variable with a number of varieties such as var. ningpoense,
var. buergerianum, var. horizontale, var. formosanum and others, and
that some trees are consistently unlobed. Indeed the Japanese
botanist Makino described the unlobed as A. trifidum var.
integrifolium, although as you can see from the photo above her
trees' leaves are definitely tri-lobed.
Acer palmatum 'Pine Bark'
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| Acer palmatum 'Nishiki gawa' |
Lucile had a maple in the field with
red autumn foliage and a label that read Acer palmatum 'Pine Bark'.
The 2” caliper trunk was reminiscent of Acer palmatum 'Nishiki
gawa' which I also grow, and in the Vertrees first edition of
Japanese Maples he lists the “Pine Bark Maple” as a
synonym of 'Nishiki gawa', implying that the former (with double
quotes) is just the common name. However, the photo in the first
edition shows a very deeply furrowed trunk, more so than the 'Nishiki
gawa' photo of the 4th edition. Originally I acquired
'Pine Bark' as a cultivar – I don't remember from where – but I
soon tired of it because it would almost break in half just by
looking at it, unlike the more sturdy 'Nishiki gawa'. I'm not talking
about A.p. 'Ara kawa', the “Rough-bark maple,” which is even less
convoluted than 'Nishiki gawa'. So what's my point? I don't know,
except that I wonder if there was once a third cultivar in the trade
that everyone has since given up on? You certainly can't succeed with
a tree like my original 'Pine Bark' that is so fragile. Vertrees says
(1st edition) that 'Pine Bark' usually has seven
elongate-ovate lobes that “taper to a long point” – as does
'Nishiki gawa' – and that furthermore, “Mature leaves assume
bright green color and turn to strong yellow in the Fall,” unlike
the red of my 'Nishiki gawa'. What is bizarre is that the 'Pine-Bark'
photo in the Vertrees 1st edition has a caption reading:
Acer palmatum 'Pine Bark Maple” with a single quote at the
beginning and a double quote at the end...probably the only
occurrence in the history of published nomenclature to do so.
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| Lucile Whitman |
The Flora Wonder Blog has been accused
before of being “buried in a sprawling mess of recollection and
quibbles about minutiae” to which I totally concur. In a sense, I
do what botanists do – quibbling about minutiae, such as with the
paragraph above – except that I also have dirt on my hands, and to
survive I must manage people, worry about the market and deal with
the vagaries of mother nature...not to mention my own health and
vitality. When Lucile spoke to Maple Society members at the beginning
of our tour she suggested that she hadn't accomplished anything
beyond what any of us could have done. But – she reminded us –
she was always at work; and that's obvious because I've never
seen her wear anything other than work clothes, and always with her
trusted Felco pruners at the quick.
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| Sorbus rufoferruginea 'Longwood Sunset' |
Lucile's enthusiasm for plants is
infectious, but one wonders where she acquires her new starts, and on
every visit I discover species and cultivars that I never knew
existed. One such was Sorbus rufoferruginea, and since I knew nothing
about it I turned to the Hillier's Manual of Trees and Shrubs
(2014) where I was advised to “See S. commixta var.
rufoferruginea.” An earlier (2nd) edition of the Manual
listed it as a species: “A small tree closely related to S.
commixta, of which it is perhaps merely a variety. It differs in its
slightly villous buds and the presence of soft brown hairs on the
inflorescence and along the leaf midrib beneath. Japan. I. 1915.”
In any case the (now) variety received an Award of Merit in 1958, but
as S. matsumurana. I was gifted S. matsumurana by an English source
two years ago, but neither the earlier nor the current Manual
lists it as a species. Well, I'm hardly a Sorbus expert, but I think
I should acquire a S. rufoferruginea so I can study this species or
variety for myself. The specific epithet is interesting: rufo
is Latin for “red” and ferruginea means “rust-coloured,”
and maybe it is rare in collections because “rowan” lovers prefer
a tree with more bright-red berries, as with S. commixta.
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| Stewartia koreana |
Stewartia koreana
Maybe I should get a Stewartia koreana
from Whitman Farms as well – I have never grown it, but I saw a
beautiful specimen at Gossler Farms Nursery, Oregon, a few years ago.
Back to Hilliers (2nd, 1972), where S. koreana is
described as “A superb, small to medium-sized tree...” It
was introduced by E.H. Wilson in 1917, which is a reminder that the
great plant hunter visited Korea and Formosa in 1917-1918 while
collecting for the Arnold Arboretum. The 2014 Hilliers' now lists S.
koreana as S. pseudocamellia Koreana Group (var. koreana Nakai ex
Rehder). It's odd that the Gossler Guide to the Best Hardy
Shrubs (2004), with “More than 350 Expert Choices for Your
Garden,” doesn't include S. koreana when I would consider it the
star plant in their famous garden. |
| Eucalyptus nicholii |
I had never encountered a Eucalyptus
nicholii before this most recent visit to Whitman Farms. I could have
stared at it for hours without ever guessing that it was a
Eucalyptus; in fact before I found a label I supposed that I was
looking at some species of Salix (willow), and indeed it is commonly
known as the “Willow Peppermint.” Further research reveals that
E. nicholii was first formally described in 1929 by Joseph Maiden in
his book A Critical Revision of the Genus Eucalyptus, and the
specific epithet honors Maiden's private secretary and “Chief
Clerk, Botanic Gardens” Richard Nichol. It is considered a
“Vulnerable” species that is native to Australia's Northern
Tablelands in New South Wales. I love the trunks of most Eucalyptus
species, but I don't grow even one because I don't care for the
foliage; however, since E. nicholii's leaves don't look like a gum I
should acquire one also, especially since Hillier describes it as an
“elegant tree.”
Cercidiphyllum japonicum 'Heronswood Globe'
I noticed that Lucile is growing
Cercidiphyllum japonicum 'Heronswood Globe' which Hillier describes
as “A slow-growing bushy dwarf selection with beautiful creamy
yellow to pink autumn colour.” I grew it years ago but
discontinued because sales were weak, and besides it was neither
“slow-growing” nor “dwarf.” The original seedling (photo
above) was far more vigorous than Hillier states, and subsequent
grafts on Cercidiphyllum rootstock are even more so. For a couple of
years I sold grafts back to the now defunct Heronswood Nursery, but
we discontinued that propagation because I think their sales were
slow too. One observation is that I suppose any propagator would look
at the Cercidiphyllum genus and consider it a cinch to root, but for
me I never struck even one root on any of the “Katsura” cultivars
that I tried.
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| Cotinus obovatus |
I have never seen Cotinus obovatus, the
“American smoke tree,” in the wild, but then it is rare in the
southeast of USA. Lucile had a group in a greenhouse that were
deliciously glowing, and once again I decided that I need to get one.
There are many contenders for “best” autumn-color shrub, but C.
obovatus must be considered near or at the top of the list. At first
it was placed in the Rhus (sumac) genus in the Anacardiaceae family
by botanist Thomas Nuttall. The genus name is from Greek kotinus
meaning “olive,” while the specific name refers to the egg-shaped
leaf with the broadest end uppermost. I know I must site the Cotinus
with plenty of sideways room, and even if it is annually coppiced the
new shoots can zoom up to 12-15' tall by the end of summer.
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| Cornus nuttallii 'Colrigo Giant' |
Cornus nuttallii 'Colrigo Giant'
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| The Columbia River Gorge |
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| Thomas Nuttall |
Lucile grows many cultivars of dogwood,
and I was impressed with the autumn foliage on Cornus nuttallii
'Colrigo Giant'. Speaking of the botanist Thomas Nuttall (1786-1859)
who described Cotinus obovatus, he was actually an Englishman, but
was famous for his discoveries of North American flora and fauna. His
collecting trips provided material for his principal work The
Genera of North American Plants (1818), and he is commemorated
for the “Pacific dogwood,” Cornus nuttallii. On one trip Nuttall
travelled through the Midwest, then boated down the Snake River to
the Columbia River which passes through the world-known Columbia
River Gorge. How fitting, then, that a tree with the largest flower
of this species was named 'Colrigo Giant' for the Columbia
River Gorge. I have two specimens of the dogwood
planted next to my house, and every year I marvel at the picnic-plate
size of the flowers. I like the description given by Dancing Oaks
Nursery of Oregon: “Amaze your gardening friends with these huge
flowers that can reach up to 8” across! And also with thick, sturdy
stems, I think this one has been nipping on steroids.”
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| Cornus kousa 'Summer Fun' |
Cornus kousa 'Summer Fun'
My Flora Wonder Blog was recently
described by a grump as “self-serving” and he would be correct.
Basically the theme is plants and I can promote or demote any I wish,
and if you don't like it you can simply push the switch button
and go back to your porn. Anyway, the final plant that I'll mention
is my introduction of Cornus kousa 'Summer Fun', a discovery that
Hillier calls “A spectacular small tree with grey-green and pale
cream variegated leaves suffused with pink in autumn.” Ms.
Whitman grows it and in Oregon alone it is produced by the thousands
annually. In my opinion the best feature is that it is not
patented, for which I am proud, because I strongly believe in
free-market capitalism. 'Summer Fun' originated as a stem sport on a
16” green rootstock, and I deserve no special credit for its
discovery because how could I miss it? I potted up the original
seedling myself because I didn't trust any employee to touch it, as
in “Oops, the variegated part broke off.” I kept some
green on for the first four years, then I grafted a few scions from
the variegated portion before I had the nerve to prune all of the
green off.
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| Cornus kousa 'Summer Fun' |
The original 'Summer Fun' can be seen
from one office window, but then I also walk past it a couple of
times per day, and have done so for the past twenty years. It is not
for sale nor will it ever be. However, as I was writing the paragraph
above I received an email from Mr. J. from New York:
Hi Talon,
Hope all is well.
For the past 15 years M. [his boss]
has been the chairman of the board for xyz investments. He is
retiring from the board and the company would like to buy him a gift
and they are thinking about a tree. Do you have anything...a special
maple or champion tree?
Thanks, J.
Wow – what a coincidence! I won't
sell the original 'Summer Fun', absolutely not, but I can give it
away. Yes, that will be the “special” gift.
Enough about me and back to Whitman
Farms. I have a few customers who buy from me and from
Lucile's nursery. If you're not familiar with her then get with it
and place an order.
www.whitmanfarms.com
