Recently I was invited by the New York Botanic Garden to say
a few words at the dedication of the Judy and Michael Steinhardt Maple
Collection, as a number of cultivar specimens – though relatively young – came
from Buchholz Nursery to complement the existing 70-year-old maple trees
already in place. Not only that, but the venerable botanic garden was
coincidentally celebrating its 125th anniversary, hyped as NYBG/125.
Obviously I was honored to supply specimens for their newly refurbished maple
section of about five acres...that was made possible by the generosity of the
Steinhardt family.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony featured plastic shears for the
photographers before real ones were handed to Mr. Steinhardt to actually cut
the ribbon. Mr. S. wasn't particularly careful with the sharp tool and his wife
quipped that he had never held a pair of shears before in his life. Then later
at a tree planting ceremony he was accused of not having enough dirt on his
spanking-new shovel, and then in his zeal some soil was tossed into his wife's
shoe.
Some older maples in the garden were three Acer sieboldianum
and I imagine they are spectacularly colored today. A single specimen of Acer
nipponicum from Japan was a surprise to see, and it was also bearing seed. I
pointed out that there was no known rootstock compatible with nipponicum and
they might want to collect the seed, but then I was told that the NYBG had no
propagating department. I used to grow a single specimen of Acer henryi but it
became too large for its space and it was removed, so I envied the allowance
given to New York's A. henryi. In leaf it could be mistaken for Acer triflorum,
although the flowers and fruits of the two species are very different.
Furthermore A. triflorum features exfoliating bark while A. henryi is smooth,
and henryi is in the section negundo and triflorum is in the section trifoliata.
Acer henryi was named by botanist Pax in 1889 for the Irish plant-hunter Augustine
Henry who discovered the species, but it was first introduced in 1903 by E.H.
Wilson when he was working for the Veitch Nursery firm.
At noon we were served a great lunch in an old historic
stone mill house, and afterwards the botanic garden luminaries thanked the
Steinhardts for funding the garden development. My speech was brief, for I was
but the rustic wildcard from Oregon, and I pointed out that I admired a
world-class botanic garden for planting and promoting cultivated variants
– cultivars – in their effort to display to the public the incredible
variation in some plant species, in particular with Japanese maples. Then, as
I've done before, I recited my stock opinion that Japanese maples are like
pretty girls: who ever tires of another one?
In 2002 I attended the International Maple Society
conference at Westonbirt Arboretum in England, and a prominent Canadian
botanist dismissively waved his hand and commented that “certainly we have
enough maple cultivars;” like: who needs to add any more. At the NYBG I asked
my two beautiful daughters to briefly stand, then to sit back down. Then I
mentioned that they were both born – or introduced – after 2002. The point was
that the world didn't need either of them from the botanist's point of
view, but that the world is certainly better off that they were hybridized
after all.
 |
| Deanna Curtis |
And the same is true with maple cultivars. Deanna Curtis,
the Curator of Woody Plants, wrote about individuals in the collection, that
"Acer palmatum 'Manyo no sato' has leaves patterned in lime-green and
purple," while those of 'Ikandi' – a Buchholz introduction – and 'Aizumi
nishiki' “unfurl in a carnival of pink, white and green.” Ms. Curtis, in the
dedication pamphlet, concluded that, “Today the expanded Judy and Michael
Steinhardt Maple Collection combines classic maples with new introductions. It
is the perfect place to appreciate the beauty and diversity of these trees in
every season.”
 |
| Acer griseum at NYBG |
 |
| Abies squamata |
 |
| Pinus bungeana |
Deanna kindly ferried me and my family through the Garden,
both before and after the dedication via a six-seat golf car, and she zoomed
energetically through the collection. We paused briefly at a colorful tree
trunk and I took photographs. But as to the botanical identity – I've been
confused a few times before – was it an Acer griseum or a Pinus bungeana?...for
they can look so alike...and throw Abies squamata into that mix as well.
I think that a botanic garden should plant Acer griseum, Pinus bungeana and
Abies squamata all next to each other, to both confuse and to entertain the
gardening public about the similarities of the various trunks, and I think I
should begin with my own. Fortunately I photographed the label, and I was
reminded that we were all looking at Acer griseum, the Chinese “paper-bark”
maple.
 |
| Enid A Haupt Conservatory |
 |
| Kiku display |
 |
| Butterfly mum |
 |
| Kengai display |
 |
| Chrysanthemum 'Lava' |
The giant conservatory was a fun place. Small-flowered
Chrysanthemums were trained to resemble bonsai, or kiku in Japanese. The
difference was that they were grown from cuttings just eight months ago. One
was trained to resemble a swallowtail butterfly while others were cascading in
the kengai (overhanging cliff) style. The white Chrysanthemum behind us was
started in October, 2015, and the single-stemmed specimen featured 210 flowers.
I don't know much about 'mums except that they make their appearance in the
autumn, and usually they are grown as tight buns in pots, something to put next
to the front door. A “spider” chrysanthemum called 'Lava' caught my eye
however, and at first I took it to be a Dahlia, and I pondered if the C. genus
was as wonderful and complex as is the Acer.
 |
| Calathea 'Royal Standard' |
 |
| Costus
speciosus 'Variegatus' |
 |
| Gomphrena globosa |
 |
| Theobroma cacao |
 |
| Unknown fern |
Other plants in the conservatory were colorful, although I
knew little about them. Calathea 'Royal Standard' is commonly called a “prayer
plant,” while Gomphrena globosa is the common “globe amaranth.” Costus
speciosus 'Variegatus' was the “crepe ginger” but it is not very hardy coming
from tropical Asia. I couldn't find the label for the fern, but nevertheless it
gleamed in the sunlight. Theobroma cacao, the “chocolate tree,” was in flower
and the blooms sprout from the trunk and branches. The genus comes from
tropical America but its name comes from Greek theo for “god” and broma
for “food.”
Picea pungens 'R.H. Montgomery'
 |
| Nell and Talon |
Back outside was a scrappy blue spruce, and if I heard
correctly it was the original Picea pungens 'R.H. Montgomery'. I used to grow
both 'Montgomery' and 'Globosa' but I could never tell them apart, and really neither
are good long-term conifers in Oregon, or at least not at my nursery, and the
specimen in New York didn't look very impressive either. The good Colonel
Montgomery was a well-known accountant who wrote more than 40 books about
accounting practice and tax laws. Montgomery spent his last years in Florida
where he enjoyed his 83 acre Coconut Grove Palmetum. He was survived by his
lovely wife Nell who out-lived him by 37 years. I imagined that if Nell
enthused so greatly about palms, she would have absolutely gushed with
excitement over my Japanese maples...and that perhaps I could have posed with
her in front of 'Ikandi' or 'Geisha Gone Wild' in a white suit.
 |
| Abies pindrow from Buchholz Nursery |
 |
| Looking for the label |
Deanna Curtis was well-prepared for my visit, having
researched plants in the NYBG that came from Buchholz Nursery. We drove past a
good-looking Abies pindrow that was a 2003 accession from Buchholz Nursery, and
I begged her to stop the golf cart so I could take a photo. Just as I pressed
the shutter an old man jumped into the frame. Another time I was told that a
Podocarpus was from me as well, and a gardener was enlisted to search for the
label. He indeed found the name but I have already forgotten it.
 |
| The old Mertz Library |
I couldn't pass up the opportunity to visit the old library,
for it was displaying Rachel “Bunny” Mellon's collection of books and
manuscripts. She collected drawings, prints, painting and sculpture on the
subjects of horticulture, botany, natural history etc. – all things connected
to the natural world. I didn't notice the no photography sign at the
entrance, but was soon scolded by security and I put my camera away. Anyway,
you can see a few items that the collection contained, and I suppose I would
have surrounded myself likewise if I had been given the chance. Which is maybe
why I have gathered a collection of plants – they are of equal beauty as
Mellon's objects, and a whole lot cheaper to acquire, and everybody is invited
to take photos of them.
 |
| Todd Forrest |
Our time was short at the NYBG, too short, and if I was
younger I might apply for a position as an intern or gardener. One must touch
the plants and observe them in all seasons – to sweat under them in summer and
to freeze next to them in winter – to really appreciate them. Many thanks to
Todd Forrest, the Vice President for Horticulture and Living Collections, and
to Deanna Curtis, the Curator of Woody Plants, for making my visit possible and
most enjoyable.
 |
| Iroki Garden |
A few days after the NYBG event we took a train north and
then picked up a zipcar to drive to Mt. Kisco. Our destination was Iroki Garden
– the “garden of surprises,” which is own by the same benefactors, Judy and
Michael Steinhardt. Cathy Deutsch, who has been to Oregon and has purchased
plants from me, led the tour along with her 3-year-old daughter Arden.* The
cute tyke was fussy at first, and I could tell that she didn't really want her
mother's attention spent on a bunch of Oregonians. It didn't take long for my
wife and daughters to win her over, however, and she eventually concluded that
we could actually be fun. I admit that I don't have much use for children under
the age of three – and that includes my own kids – but Arden was a sweetheart
and she did a good deal of the guiding of us.
*Cathy majored in English literature. Arden was part of a
forest north of Stratford-upon-Avon, the setting of Shakespeare's As You
Like It.
Iroki is a zoo as well as a plant collection. Dear Arden was
quite familiar with the set-up, and she demonstrated just how one rides the
tortoises and then cuddles with Whinny – or Winny – or Winnie – the goose that
pooped on the initial step into the aviary. Of course A. eventually stepped
into the mess and C. had to deal with that, but she did do with such motherly
grace...that Haruko fell completely in love with her, in love with both of
them. I thought I was hilarious with tagging the dumb fowl as “Winnie the
Poop,” but no one laughed. At the beginning of our visit, Cathy offered that
she didn't attempt to get too involved with the animals, implying that she had
enough to do without them, but clearly Daughter A. did not agree and she
exhibited a familiar rapport with the critters. Again, we wanted to adopt the
kid and take her home with us; but since that won't happen we would love to
meet her again one day, perhaps when she is a teenager or a beautiful
20-year-old.
Iroki is unlike any other garden I have seen. It is formal
at times, but then also wild. There are hundreds of Japanese maple cultivars
but they blend in nicely with the native flora. Lots of room for kids to run
around, and in fact it seemed like the grounds were designed to please
children. One quirky feature was a huge stick construction, and Cathy announced
– from a distance – that we could climb up it if we wanted. I didn't see how
that was possible at first, and the idea seemed like a lawsuit waiting to happen,
but little Arden headed up a ramp and we all caught on. Halfway up was the
“living room” where one could make music by swatting the bamboo tubes, and
Arden gleefully showed us how.
 |
| Paeonia obovata |
 |
| Paeonia obovata |
Iroki is not a Japanese word, or if it is my wife doesn't
know it. Iro is “color” in Japanese and ki means “wood.”
Chamaecyparis obtusa – hinoki – is hino (fire) and ki
(wood), but she insists that iroki does not go together like that.
Indeed, a name of mystery; and the “garden full of surprises” was more fun than
I could have imagined. Fun to be three years old again.
No comments:
Post a Comment