The Gossler Source

 

Saussurea species

A joy of horticulture is that one can grow intimate with fascinating life forms, with plants and their flowers, leaves, trunks, roots etc. They're not always cooperative of course, and as with raising human children you have to deal with the problems as well as getting to enjoy their wonders.

Roger Gossler

A benefit that extends beyond appreciating the plants themselves is the opportunity to get to know their tenders, those devoted to their care. A week ago Friday we welcomed a visit from Plantsman Roger Gossler of Gossler Farms Nursery, Springfield Oregon, who drove north to pick up his order. He also presented us with his latest retail catalog (2021-2022) and I shoved aside everything on my desk so I could process its contents.

Camellia 'Water Lily'

Rogers gleans rare/interesting/unusual plants from his wholesale contacts, so his catalog is a passport for me to visit some of America's best growers and to see how horticulture is progressing. At the same time Gossler is my historical redoux, as a number of choice additions to the Flora Wonder Arboretum were originally gifts or purchases from Gossler Farms. My nursery has also profited from our relationship, with the first Camellia ever at Buchholz Nursery, 'Water Lily', coming as a gift from Roger…and now it is in our production, with starts being shipped back to Roger in Oregon, as well as to dozens of other growers across America. Eventually R. will be laid to rest – after me, I sure hope – and his tombstone will read: Win-Win, which means that if you give unto Others first, you will reap many rewards eventually, most certainly. Another way to say it: Everyone likes Roger, and everyone respects his knowledge and values his opinion about great plants to grow.

Camellia transnokoensis

Mt. Noko (Nenggao)

Camellia 'Elina Cascade'

A new Camellia gift from Gossler comes with an awkward specific epithet: transnokoensis. This species hails from Mt. Noko, Taiwan, so nokoensis would mean from Mt. Noko. The prefix does not imply that it wants to change its sexual orientation, but "trans" in this case probably suggests that it is found "across" the Mt. Noko area. If I had discovered it I would have left the trans portion out of the name, as an example of too much information. This small evergreen shrub is described in the Gossler catalog: "A small leafed camellia with small white flowers (1"/2" across). This plant is very graceful year round, but truly beautiful in spring." The flowers remind me of Camellia 'Elina Cascade', white with yellow stamens, but equally attractive in bud with the outer portion blotched with reddish pink. The question is C. transnokoensis's hardiness, probably zone 7-8, so my new treasure will spend its first few years in the protective greenhouse.

Camellia 'Black Magic'

'Black Magic' is a Camellia japonica cultivar that never stays on our sales list for long, not because it is a new and great plant, because it's not new, only great. It originated as a chance seedling and was introduced by Nuccio's Nursery of Altadena, California in 1962. The company bills itself as "Growers of Rare Camellias and Azaleas Since 1935" and they are still in business in high-end SoCal. Gossler originally gifted the plant to me as 'Black Opal' – not correct – but fortunately I hadn't sold any at that point, and since then he and I have both rectified our nomenclature.

Hamamelis japonica 'Pendula'

Hamamelis japonica 'Pendula'

Gossler peddles lots of Hamamelis cultivars, and good for him even though the genus has never really been commercially viable for me. They flower in late fall-to-early spring, and some selections are outstanding for autumn colour, nevertheless sales have been less than robust throughout my career. Oh well, I'm not on a mission to convert American gardeners, so I remain content to offer a few from time to time as long as I can enjoy the older specimens in the Flora Wonder Arboretum. A relatively new acquisition from Gossler is Hamamelis japonica 'Pendula', but I have never propagated or sold any. I have only my one original gift, now in a 20 gallon container at the back end of Greenhouse 9. Two different customers have discovered it and want to be its new owner, but I steadfastly declare it NFS (Not For Sale). Sorry, but I want it more than you do, in spite of my capitalistic leanings, and it will be grounded at Flora Farm this month. Gossler writes: "The strongly weeping witchhazel makes a nice irregular container plant. Doesn't have very many flowers, but its fun to have a weeping witchazel [sic]." There is nothing "irregular" about my solo specimen, for me it grows as a rather formal mound, and since mine is not for sale you'll have to go to the source and get a little one to grow on for yourself. The Japanese species is noted for pale-yellow, slightly-fragrant winter flowers and for yellow-to-red-to-purple autumn foliage.

Hamamelis vernalis 'Blue Moon'

Hamamelis vernalis 'Blue Moon' is another Gossler witchgift and I was initially excited by the name. Blue flowers – really? Well, great name, but the blossoms do not contain anything blue to my eye, instead they are pinkish-purple. Hmm – the summer foliage is blue-green – is that why it was so-named?

Berberis jamesiana

Berberis jamesiana

Berberis jamesiana is a collector's plant, ill suited for the wimpy gardener due to its vicious, three-stab thorns. But the foliage is attractive with olive-green leaves with gray-blue undersides, and the whole lot turns to autumn red before falling. Why deer will consume some Berberis species, like B. thunbergia, but not others (allegedly) like B. jamesiana, is unknown to me. The fruits of the latter species are small and white, and develop just after it blooms with yellow panicles. The berries turn to salmon pink by late summer, then to a translucent red in autumn and early winter. The 12' tall by 8' wide shrub was introduced from Sichuan and Tibet* by George Forrest in 1913 and should be placed in full sun for best performance.

 *Locally known as "chuan dian xiao bo."

Rosa moyesii 'Geranium'

Rosa moyesii 'Geranium'

Rogers describes Rosa moyesii 'Geranium': "When I went to Sissinghurst in 1989, this stunner was in full glory with its 3" hips in September…The single red flowers are not red or pink but an interesting color." I guess they're colored orange-red, but the visuals are fleeting depending on the nature of available sunlight. Rosa moyesii is native to western China and was introduced into cultivation by A.E. Pratt in 1894 and again by E.H. Wilson in 1903. The species was named in honor of the Reverend J. Moyes who joined the Chinese Inland Mission, a Protestant organization whose members wore Chinese dress and adopted pig-tails to impress the locals who were undergoing the conversion attempt. Wilson had been hosted for a time by the good Reverend, and a plant hunter in China one hundred years ago appreciated any help he could get. Of course Rosa moyesii received the coveted Award of Garden Merit in 1925.

Cercidiphyllum japonicum 'Boyd's Dwarf'

 

Cercidiphyllum japonicum 'Boyd's Dwarf'

Gossler says of Cercidiphyllum japonicum 'Boyd's Dwarf': "Our plant from Jim Fox is 12' x 4' after 15+ years, growing 6"-12" per season. This seems to be a shrubby form of C. japonicum. It's great fun to see such a small plant of the amazing species." The tree that Roger gifted me didn't appear dwarf at all when I kept it in a container in the greenhouse, but now, out in the garden I can finally see that its growth rate is only about 25% of the type. In some landscapes I've seen fall color to be a solid-yellow, but my tree skips yellow and goes straight to orange-red. Unfortunately I don't know the origin of the Boyd name, but I presume he discovered the dwarf as a seedling.

Magnolia kobus var. stellata 'Jane Platt'

A dozen or more years ago Gossler Farms Nursery was the American gardener's retail source for Magnolia cultivars, and the genus probably made up to 75% of their total sales. Apparently large gardens are a thing of the past, and these days a Magnolia doesn't fit into the planting scheme. Consequently Magnolias make up only 25% of their sales today. I'm guessing at these percentages, but they're based on Roger's reminiscences. However the relatively small M. stellata 'Jane Platt' remains popular, and the world has Roger to thank for its name and introduction (in the 1980s). He discovered a form of M. stellata var. rosea in the sophisticated garden of Jane Platt of Portland, Oregon, and he was convinced that her shrub excelled over all other pink-flowered "Star magnolia" selections. Today it is grown in England, and I am proud to be one of the first to send starts to the Isles; and it is esteemed enough to have received the Royal Horticultural Society's prestigious Award of Garden Merit. The Hillier Manual of Trees and Shrubs concurs, calling 'Jane Platt' the "best pink M. stellata." Hillier says "the profuse deep pink flowers can have up to 30 tepals." Roger claims "Up to 60 tepal per each blossom" – I've never counted – but Roger can also tell some whopper fishing stories.

Magnolia 'Marjory Gossler'

A year or two ago Roger felt that he owed me a favor – I can't remember why – and he commented that I could have any plant that he grew. I thought about his numerous great choices, but finally requested a Magnolia x 'Marjory Gossler', a hybrid (M. sargentiana 'Blood Moon' x M. denudata) that grows quickly up to 40' tall and features white/pink flowers that quickly turn to white. Gossler relates, "We sent pollen to [breeder] Phil Savage and he sent back scion-wood," and Roger considers it "a great honor that Phil named it for Marj."

Well, Roger has given me quite a lot more than what I have listed here, but like with my company his product line evolves.

Marj Gossler

Every year the Gossler catalog begins with an introduction page that details what activities and accomplishments occurred during the prior year. Eric Gossler writes, "I will jump into the not so good news for the year. We lost Marj on May 10, 2021. She was 92 and was doing pretty well up until the last month of her life…It has been a real adjustment for us to not have her here looking over all the projects and activities at the farm and nursery. This is the first catalog we have ever done in over 50 years of business that she has not had a part in assembling."

Calycanthus 'Hartlage Wine'

Eric continues: "While we were cleaning things out of Marj's house, we found a small box with 20-30 SD cards. These were filled with photos spanning about 10 years while she had that particular camera. We have been going through these and selected one for the cover of this catalog."

I think the Calycanthus 'Hartlage Wine' photo is one of the best Gossler catalog covers ever. I didn't get to know Marj very well, but she was always alert and friendly whenever I visited. She was quick to present a story or give an opinion with a sense of wry humor, and I got the feeling that she was always a step ahead of us. Marj was also a highschool teacher for part of her life, and I doubt there was ever a challenge to her authority in the classroom. All students quickly figure out who to not cross, a situation sorely absent in public schools these days. In any case I look forward to the first flowering of my Marj magnolia.