The Gossler Catalog

 

Magnolia stellata 'Jane Platt'

Every year about this time I receive my Gossler Farms Nursery retail catalog, and no matter how busy I am I push everything to the side on my desk and spend an hour with it. And then the next day...another hour, rereading what I covered the day before. Roger Gossler is a renowned plantsman and his family's mail-order nursery reflects their eclectic taste in plants. Years ago they were the American gardener's best supplier of Magnolias, but now they also offer maples and conifers and a whole lot of everything else, in addition to the 75 Magnolia cultivars listed in this year's catalog. The world of horticulture has Roger to thank for the introduction of Magnolia stellata 'Jane Platt' which deservedly received the Award of Garden Merit from England's Royal Horticultural Society.

 

Roger Gossler

Gossler visits once or twice a year and this fall he has 63 different items on order – 10 of this and 30 of that – only half of which I really wanted to sell. If I acquire a new plant he has a knack for sniffing it out in the furthermost greenhouse, always before I can build up my stock. I don't want to be stingy but I really wish I had a secret nursery somewhere so I could hide those plants from him. But it's Roger after all, so he usually gets what he wants, plus he has given me a hundred or more plants over the decades at no charge. From his catalog I can identify most of his other suppliers, and I'm sure there is a lot of sideways distribution that goes through good-guy Roger. We hope that the solid Mr. G. will always exist as our horticultural stalwart. I don't remember if I said it before, but if you don't like Roger then I don't like you.

 

Camellia x williamsiana 'Water Lily'

Camellia x williamsiana 'Water Lily'

I was visiting Gossler Farms Nursery about six years ago and I encountered a blooming specimen of Camellia x williamsiana 'Water Lily', but prior to that time I was a grump about the Camellia genus, and in fact I wasn't certain if the genus name contained just one l or two ll's. I didn't know anything about them, and I never grew any because they were well-known as a root-weevil magnet, and then as a host of Sudden Oak Death. Furthermore, as a child I was tasked with sweeping up spent Camellia blossoms from four huge bushes every year that were planted in front of our house. Another reason to hate them was because the leaves were often besmirched with a black soot, probably from aphid excretion. But Roger's 'Water Lily' looked perfect and he handed a pot to me. So that's the story of the first Camellia to enter into the collection, and how interesting that Roger has now bought from me C. japonica 'Nuccio's Pearl'.

Camellia x 'Night Rider'

Camellia x 'Night Rider'

The hybrid Camellia x williamsii is a cross of C. japonica with the Chinese species C. saluenensis, and in The Hillier Manual of Trees and Shrubs (9^th edition) it is rated as “One of the most valuable hybrid shrubs ever produced and perhaps the best Camellia for general planting in the British Isles.” The aforementioned 'Water Lily' received the prestigious Award of Garden Merit and has been around since 1967. Another cultivar of note is 'Night Rider' which is C. japonica 'Kuro tsubaki' x C. x williamsii 'Ruby Bells'. Flowers of 'Night Rider' are dark red, small and semi double, but the new foliage is a delicious purple-red, the color of which reminds me of Pieris japonica 'Katsura'. The C. x williamsii was raised by J.C. Williams (1861-1939) at Caerhays Estate, by the passionate gardener who sponsored some of the great plant hunters such as George Forrest and E.H. Wilson.

Abies koreana 'Alpine Star'

Gossler stumbled upon our inadequately hidden Abies koreana 'Alpine Star', which is listed as 'Alpin Star' in Europe, and naturally he wanted to acquire the very dark-green-foliaged conifer. Roger relates that it is a Scottish selection, which I already knew, but I don't know which company or person introduced it, nor do I know if it was from seedling origin or from a witch's broom mutation. If the miniature arose from a mutation I'd like to know if the mother was a random A. koreana seedling – and nothing wrong with that – or from an already-named cultivar. The needles are tiny and crowded along the stem, and they are far too dark to be considered attractive, but they foist the shiny white buds into brilliant prominence...which explains the “star” in the cultivar name, and in that sense I consider it a cosmic plant.

Camellia x 'J.C. Williams'

While writing this blog Roger Gossler actually arrived to pick up his fall 2020 order. We chatted and gossiped as usual, then as he departed he pointed to his catalog on my desk and offered, “If there's anything you want, just let me know.” Wow! – my brain buzzed at the possibilities. Another Camellia perhaps? – Like C. 'Buttermint', since the “small creamy yellow C. kisii hybrid is upright growing and flowers heavily with slightly double yellow flowers.” Since I had never heard of this “k” species I turned to the American Camellia Society's website where it is listed as C. kissi, not C. kisii. Into uncharted territory I go again...and the ACS reveals that C. kissi originates in northeast India, Nepal, Burma, and southern China, so obviously I question its hardiness. But it should be known that C. kissi oil is available at alternative sources and that it will arrive from Vegetarian Friendly, Vegan Friendly and Cruelty Free factories, and, as for me, I wouldn't want it from any other sources, duh. Apparently it “works well as a skin replenishing oil, as an incredible anti-inflammatory that calms and conditions irritated, sensitive skin...and importantly, helps to diminish stretch marks, reduce fine lines and wrinkles.” But anyway, another non-hardy plant; I should probably pass on that.

Paeonia delavayi

Jean Marie Delavay

Gossler lists a couple of Paeonia species, P. delavayi and P. ludlowii, and I also have both in my garden. The delavayi species was introduced from western China in 1908 and there are a number of varieties of it. For example Gossler says his form has deep-maroon flowers, while the Hillier Manual of Trees and Shrubs lists varieties with white and yellow blossoms as well. As you can see my plant is showing off with a light-orange color, but I don't remember at what point of flower development the photo was taken. My tree is in full sun and I suppose the color would vary somewhat if it was in shade. Hillier calls it “A handsome suckering shrub attaining 2m,” but I haven't noticed any suckering from mine. The specific epithet honors Pere Jean Marie Delavay (1834-1895), a French missionary who was far more successful as a botanical explorer than with converting Chinese souls. I'm not sure that he converted even one, because he sent over 200,000 herbarium specimens to the Paris Museum of Natural History, with 1,500 of them being described as new species. Sadly he contracted the bubonic plague in 1888 but, though weakened, he kept collecting...and finally died in Yunnan Province at age 61.

Paeonia ludlowii seed

Paeonia ludlowii

Paeonia ludlowii

Paeonia ludlowii

Paeonia ludlowii

Paeonia ludlowii

Paeonia ludlowii

Paeonia ludlowii is a “tree peony” with “large, single golden-yellow flowers,”* according to Gossler. Hillier describes it as a “vigorous, medium-sized to large shrub with stout, unbranched stems and bold, deeply cut leaves,” as is proven with the above photos. Roger is selling seedlings and we have in the past also; the plant develops carpels (pods) which contain round blackish-brown seeds. I planted only one in the original Display Garden, but critters of some type distribute them about and I've had them germinate 200 feet away. The species was named in honor of Frank Ludlow who collected it in the Tsangpo Valley in southeast Tibet in 1936. It's a good thing that I have it in my garden because it is threatened in the wild. The problem is exploitation by people from other parts of China, as the root's bark is used in traditional medicine.

*In Tibet it is known as lumaidao meaning "God's flower."

Pleione 'Alishan'

Pleione 'Golden Gate'

Pleione 'Tolima'

Pleione formosana 'Tongariro'

We are pleased that Gossler buys his Pleione cultivars from us, and he acquired 'Alishan', 'Golden Gate', 'Tolima' and 'Tongariro' on his last pickup. I began to collect these terrestrial orchids 25 years ago, but only as a hobby. My wife Haruko took an interest in them and once spent a full day repotting the bulbs and carefully labelling all. She gently watered them in to settle the soil, but a few days later a mindless employee jetted many out of their pots with too much sideways water pressure. They didn't need water at all – they were just bulbs, half in and half out of the soil. When Haruko saw the mess she just stood there with her mouth open for a few moments before trying to salvage the situation, and she pleaded with me not to fire the poor woman (I did later for other transgressions). Now office-manager Eric manages everything: their potting, labelling, watering, pricing and acquiring new varieties, and we actually make a profit. The Pleiones are easier to grow than most people would suppose, and they'll survive our winters outside in western Oregon.

Les Oceanides Les Naiades de la mer by Gustave Dore

According to Cribb and Butterfield in The Genus Pleione: “The genus Pleione was established in 1825 by [botanist] David Don based on two Himalayan species, P. praecox and P. humilis, both previously figured and described by Sir James Smith as species of Epidendrum.” Since the Pleione genus is native to northern India, Nepal, China, Taiwan and Myanmar, it's odd that the Latin name (from Greek) was used for the mother of the Pleiades, the seven star cluster in the constellation Taurus. Pleione was an oceanid nymph and the protectress of sailors, but I don't see any connection with the orchids, other than that the flowers are beautiful and the nymph must be too.

Magnolia 'Vulcan'

Magnolia 'Vulcan'

The Gosslers are internationally respected for their expertise with Magnolias and for their availability. Even office-manager Eric bought his first Magnolias from them, long before he wound up at Buchholz Nursery from his previous employment in the high-tech sector. Roger describes M. 'Vulcan': “An incredible glowing red-purple. The first blooms will be an odd purple and we worried it wasn't the correct plant, but it changed drastically with age. Hardy to probably 0F. The flowers can be up to 12” across in March.” Concerning the blossom color I too have noticed that it changes with age, and furthermore that it is never exactly the same from one year to the next. I think it's a factor of how much light is available in March which is never the same. I have about 50 digital photos of 'Vulcan' taken over the years, and I would say that in some years it is better than in others.* M. 'Vulcan' was bred by the Jury family of New Zealand using M. campbellii subsp. mollicomata 'Lanarth' with M. liliiflora.

*I've seen the same color changes with red Cornus kousa cultivars.

The matriarch of the Gossler enterprise is Marj Gossler, and for years she did all the office duties, and never was a payment ever late. She had a difficult spring because the 92-year-old fell twice and broke bones, and due to the pandemic the family couldn't visit her in the hospital. The good news is that she is now home mending.

Magnolia sargentiana var. robusta

Magnolia denudata

There is a Magnolia cultivar named for her – 'Marj Gossler' – which is M. denudata x M. sargentiana var. robusta. The hybrid was raised and named by Phil Savage of Michigan which used the pollen of the M. sargentiana from Oregon. It flowers fragrantly in late March, white with a deep reddish-purple base. The parents are no wimps, and 'Marj Gossler' is said to be an erect fast-growing medium-sized tree. I've never grown the cultivar, but guess what?: since Roger offered me anything I want, I'll request his mother's Magnolia.