Flora Wonder Blog: The Repeat

Magnolia 'Manchu Fan'

Magnolia 'Butterflies'

Last week's Flora Wonder Blog Spring, Sprang, Sprung described the march into the season with the flowering of Mahonias, Magnolias, Corylopsis and others. A few moments after it was posted, blog co-producer Seth snarkily informed me - on his way out the door - that we had used the same title for a previous blog. My heart sank because I thought I was being clever with something original. Maybe my family is correct, I reflected, that I repeat a lot of stories, jokes and opinions, and that accounts for their rolled eyes, groans and furtive glances. It's true that I do repeat repeat a lot concerning instructions to the employees, but I wouldn't have to if they gave a stronger focus to not continue with the same mistakes. Not a day has gone by in my career when I didn't have to intervene...for the sake of the plants, the customers and the employees themselves.

So, in the spirit of repetition I'll run last week's blog again, then follow with the Spring, Sprang, Sprung post from five years ago (April 12, 2019). Though the titles are the same, my outlook was much different five years ago. Forgive me if five years in the future I spring another on you.

Spring, Sprang, Sprung (March 29, 2024)

I began Buchholz Nursery 44 years ago, so it's quite remarkable that women in my realm suppose I'm somewhere between 36-to-39 years old. Boy, I wish, but I have been kicking dirt clods for almost three quarters of a century. This is my first spring after a long career where I can actually enjoy the march of the season...with its fresh, unfurling leaves and an abundance of flowers. Yes, Buchholz Nursery is woefully behind with the work schedule, as all nurseries are at this time of year, but I carry a little less panic as I allow the new owners to grow their own gray hair.

Mahonia x 'Arthur Menzies'

Rufous Hummingbird

The “spring” fun begins with the flowering of the Mahonia hybrids, and our old stalwart x 'Arthur Menzies' (M. bealei x M. oiwakensis subsp. lomariifolia) begins singing Christmas carols as early as November's end. I'm usually not visually aware that it is in flower as I coldly hunker downward in the gloomy garden, rather I'm alerted by the darting hummingbirds that bee-line to the golden nectar. The little hummers can become crabby with each other as they vie for territorial priority, and for myself I don't hang near the bush either, for fear of getting an eye poked out. 'Arthur Menzies' is a statuesque evergreen shrub that was introduced in 1961 at Seattle's Washington Park Arboretum and it thrives in Northwest, USA gardens where its parents barely do. Arthur was the Supervisor of Plant Accessions at the Strybing Arboretum in San Francisco, in whose garden the hybrid originated, but I can find no direct connection with this Mr. Menzies and the Scottish naval surgeon and botanist, Archibald Menzies, who was honored with the specific epithet for the “Douglas fir,” Pseudotsuga menziesii.

Hamamelis x intermedia 'Strawberries & Cream'

Hamamelis x intermedia 'Angelly'

Hamamelis x intermedia 'Sunburst'

The “witch hazel” performance this spring was a brief affair. The Hamamelis x intermedias bloom early and last about two weeks, and while I enjoy them in my gardens they were always a tough sell. 'Strawberries and Cream' is a relatively new selection with cream-yellow flowers and red at the base; I like it so much I planted one by my mailbox. Both 'Angelly' and 'Sunburst' exceed old cultivars such as 'Arnold's Promise' for their larger and brighter yellow flowers.

Hamamelis vernalis 'Red Imp'

Hamamelis vernalis 'Blue Moon'

Hamamelis vernalis 'Red Imp' emitted a soft autumnal glow last November, then showed off again in February with flower petals wine-red at the base and copper-colored at the tips. I don't know about the “imp” name as that implies a dwarf plant, but mine grows exuberantly. Another H. vernalis is 'Blue Moon', and I was somewhat startled when I drove past it. It was in heavy flower, but I can't say it was beautiful. Oregon plantsman Roger Gossler describes the color as “violet purple,” a most surreal hue, and claims that the parent plant was discovered by Jorg Kohout of Germany, the plantsman mainly known for his introduction of Abies koreana 'Ice Breaker'. The cultivar name is unusual – for I see little blue in the witch hazel – so I think something was lost in translation.

Hamamelis japonica 'Pendula'

It was also Roger Gossler who gifted me a Hamamelis japonica 'Pendula' but we have yet to propagate it. The low-spreading bush is approximately 4' wide and only 10” tall and I like its structure especially when deciduous. The light yellow flowers are small and occur at the time of year when nobody ever sees it, but nevertheless my solo tree is frequently on customers' wish lists, and we should probably plant it in the garden to decrease the urge to sell it.

Corylopsis sinensis var. calvescens f. veitchiana.

The Hillier Manual of Trees and Shrubs (2019) sings the praises for the Corylopsis genus in the Hamamelidaceae family, and opines: “These exquisitely beautiful plants are easily grown and should be much more widely planted.” Hillier suggests there are about 24 species in the genus, whose name is derived from the Greek words korylos meaning “hazel” and opsis meaning “like, similar to,” although Corylopsis resides in the Hamamelidaceae family but Corylus is a member of the Betulaceae family. I never did acquire the skill to identify the various species, and there's even a planting of seven species next to each other in our Long Road section. I wanted to learn how to identify them but they basically all look alike., and if we ever lost the labels we'd be hapless. But even with their labels the nomenclature evolves with forms and varieties and many of my tags are outdated. For example, what used to be C. willmottiae is now C. sinensis Willmottiae Group and C. veitchiana is now C. sinensis var. calvescens f. veitchiana. Wow – a form and a variety for the latter – it was originally discovered by E.H. Wilson in 1900 in China.

Corylopsis sinensis 'Spring Purple'

Corylopsis spicata 'Golden Spring'

Corylopsis glaucophylla

Corylopsis sinensis 'Spring Purple' is a favorite in the landscape for its purple new growth, and it pairs well with C. spicata 'Golden Spring', although the latter requires PM shade, at least in Oregon at Buchholz Nursery. One species – C. glaucophylla – remains a mystery, if indeed it is a unique species. I've only seen it listed once, at the now defunct Heronswood Nursery, but I've been unable to learn why it received that specific epithet and who did so. We used to root the various species and cultivars under mist in summer, with 'Golden Spring' being the most popular. It's best to not graft Corylopsis selections due to the suckering nature of the beast, and even on their own roots the gardener will experience them growing quite wide as they mature.

Acer opalus ssp. obtusatum

Acer japonicum 'Maiku nishiki'

I walked through the Hoyt Arboretum of Portland with my daughter H. last week. In the distance I could see a Corylopsis-looking tree in bloom, but then my eyesight is not so good anymore. “What is it? What is it?” I said aloud as we approached. It humored my daughter that I was so driven to know, that I become restless when I don't know the identity of a tree. I don't know why I can't be normal around trees and just accept them for their pleasant qualities like my wife and everyone else does. We were in the maple section and...ah, I could finally see that it was an Acer species with prominent flowers: Acer opalus subsp. obtusatum, a medium-sized tree from the Mediterranean region. The Hoyt tree was in fine form, but I recalled growing it at the nursery long ago, with it eventually perishing in a harsh winter. I conclude that I baby my trees too much in lush conditions, whereas the trees must fend for themselves at the Hoyt, and maybe – overall – they thrive there better. My daughter was impressed with the A. opalus's showy yellow flowers, and also with a neighboring tree of A. japonicum with its red flowers. She wasn't aware that maples even produced flowers at all; but yes, dear, maples have sex too – a topic she preferred I drop altogether.

Acer buergerianum 'Miyasama yatsubusa'

H. would be bewildered with the obscene amount of flowering and seed production that occurs some years on our Acer buergerianum 'Miyasama yatsubusa', both in containers in the greenhouse, as well as with our 40-year-old specimen in the Display Garden. Sadly the tiny seeds rarely germinate – for me, at least – and when they do they grow as a regular A. buergerianum. New growth is stunted these days on my garden pillar with the over-abundance of flower production, so propagation is with rather thick, two-year scionwood which is also encumbered with unwanted flowers. It seems as if we are developing a more-dwarf strain of 'Miyasama yatsubusa' than we used to grow 30-40 years ago, while many propagators experience that the opposite usually happens. Our trees are in high demand, however it requires two additional years for the dwarf Trident to make a salable one-gallon pot compared with the typical Acer palmatum cultivar.

Acer macrophyllum

Acer macrophyllum 'Mocha Rose'

An impressive harbinger of spring is Highway 26 from the west into Portland, for both sides of the three-mile canyon are festooned with racemes of yellow from the flowers of the “Oregon maple,” Acer macrophyllum. As if that wasn't exuberance enough for one year, a yellow haze will reappear in autumn when the deciduous leaves begin to fall. A special treat at the nursery is when our introduction of Acer macrophyllum 'Mocha Rose' flowers at the same time as the rose colored leaves begin to emerge. Once, an enthusiastic visitor stumbled with superlatives and blurted, “That's the most incredible thing I never saw!” Mee too...I think.

Stachyurus salicifolius

Pale-yellow flower racemes are developing in the containers of Stachyurus salicifolius in the greenhouse. The specific epithet aptly describes the long, slender, willow-like leaves. An old specimen is planted in the woods along the creek at the southern end of the nursery, and it lends a graceful presence among the alders. However much I liked it for its feminine appearance, we found them nearly impossible to sell, so I was surprised when the new Buchholz Nursery owners ordered a hundred pots from another grower. With MrMaple's strong media identity and a huge mail-order clientele, I'm confident they will find enough customers, so I'm pleased if S. salicifolius makes a comeback at the nursery.

Magnolia 'Kiki's Broom'

Kiki

The magnolias are in their prime this week, and the gangly, large-growing trees finally justify their inclusion in the collection. Of course some cultivars are more dwarf and compact compared to others, but in most cases they become too crowded, even at middle age. An exception to the large size is Magnolia 'Kiki's Broom' which occurred as a witch's broom on a probable M. x soulangeana. I don't include a specific epithet because I'm not positive, and I never saw the original host tree either. I received propagation wood from plantsman Greg Williams (who was not a magnolia guru) about 25 years ago but then he suddenly went quiet and would never answer his telephone. We built up our stock of the broom, but before commerce could commence we needed a name. At the time my youngest daughters were infatuated with a Japanese animated character, a cute little girl who flew around on a magical broom with her cat; so, 'Kiki's Broom'. Later I learned that wood was also sent to Europe, where it is known under one or possibly more names. Too bad.

Magnolia 'Genie'

Magnolia x 'Genie' is an exciting new introduction that we have been growing for about a dozen years, but unfortunately it is patented so we can't propagate and I must buy in my starts. The cultivar features tulip-shaped blossoms of dark maroon on a narrow, compact tree, so it is perfect for a smaller garden. The sweetly-fragrant flowers are open now – spring-spranged – but later in summer we often get a second flush of flowers. The hybrid was produced by New Zealand plantsman Vance Hooper and arose from crossing cultivars of M. x soulangeana with M. liliiflora. It should be planted in full sun, and is hardy to -20 F, USDA zone 5. Judging from my older plants I expect 'Genie' to reach at least 15' tall, but will only be about 6-7' wide; a purple pillar with flowers abundantly borne.

Magnolia 'Mighty Mouse'

But before you conclude that Magnolia 'Genie' is the best selection ever, you should see M. 'Mighty Mouse', also bred by Vance Hooper. Perhaps it is also patented but I won't try to find out, and I'll just grow a small number and claim ignorance if outed. 'Mighty Mouse' resembles 'Genie' in flower form and color, but it is much more diminutive. It would look smart as a fresh bud on one's lapel.

Caerhays Castle

Magnolia 'Caerhays Belle'

Haruko with Magnolia 'Caerhays Belle'

If the gardener has ample space, then it's a luxury to fill it with the large-growing Magnolia 'Caerhays Belle'. There's nothing neat and tidy about the blossoms, rather they remind me of a formerly good-looking dame who now wears flamboyant clothing and lathers on excessive makeup to conceal her age. According to Hillier, the belle is M. sargentiana var. robusta crossed with M. springeri 'Diva', and the “magnificent” tree “was raised at Caerhays [in southern England] in 1951. Very large, salmon-pink flowers with 12 broad tepels appear before the leaves.” My start came from the eclectic garden of the late Dr. Corbin of Portland, Oregon. Sunset Magazine featured a story about 'Caerhays Belle' in their monthly gardening section, with a photo of the doctor's great-grand-daughter posing with a single blossom that was larger than her pretty head. Due to the article, sales spiked with retail and mail-order nurseries who carried the hybrid, such as Gossler Farms and Nursery in Oregon. I duplicated the flower/pretty face with my new wife, Haruko, who posed with the Dr. Corbin tree since his great-grand-daughter wasn't available.

Ribes sanguineum 'Pulborough Scarlet'

Archibald Menzies

Our native “wild current” is Ribes sanguineum*, and the cultivar 'Pulborough Scarlet' is hogging a lot of backyard space at Flora Farm. Now the 10' tall by 12' wide monster is in full bloom with thousands of flowers cherished by our resident hummingbirds. The scarlet color evolves with their age, ranging from rich red when new, then later fading to pink. The hue can change from minute to minute as well, depending whether the sun is shining on it directly or when the sky is cloudy. I once wanted to surprise wife Haruko with a bouquet of Ribes which I brought into the house. She thanked and rewarded me with a smile, but half an hour later we looked at each other with frowning faces and mutually concluded that we couldn't tolerate the rank odor any more. Surprisingly Hillier describes the stinky current as “useful for cutting for the home and easily forced. First discovered by [the aforementioned] Archibald Menzies in 1793 and introduced in 1817.” The pungent smell reminded me of when I used to scramble through its brush as a youth while headed upstream to fish; the odor wasn't so bad when not constrained indoors. My grandmother used to make a delicious dark jelly with its tiny black fruits, and the berries' tartness combined with pounds of sugar added greatly to my peanut butter sandwiches.

*Sanguineum: from Latin sanguineus “of blood.”

Acer palmatum 'Goshiki kotohime'

Acer palmatum 'Mikawa yatsubusa'

Acer palmatum 'Yellow Threads'

New maple grafts

Speaking of blood, my life-blood at the nursery is with the maples, and it's a relief and joyous pleasure when last summer's grafts begin to leaf out in spring. It's the Acer japonicums that emerge first, followed by certain A. palmatum cultivars like 'Goshiki kotohime', 'Mikawa yatsubusa', 'Yellow Threads' etc., but today (3/28/24) everything else is catching up. David is currently in GH18 cutting off the liner rootstocks completely, and he beams proudly when I congratulate him on another year of success. He'll be around, hopefully, in a half-dozen years when his little propagants will grow to $100 apiece. I'm not sure if I will though, not knowing when all my springs will have finally sprung.

"Stop bemoaning your demise, Talon. You have been given an abundance of my floral favours."

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Spring, Sprang, Sprung (April 12, 2019)

Spring can mean a number of things, like a source of water, a metal coil or the season between winter and summer. I remembered to spring forward – I sprang – on March 10^th with the beginning of Daylight Savings Time, and I am only now getting used to the loss of that hour. The word spring is derived from Old English springan “to jump,” and that perhaps from Greek sperchestai “to hasten.”

Plant namers are fond of the word spring and I have used it a number of times myself. It's an appropriate adjective because many plants “do their thing” in spring by producing fresh lively foliage or blossoms that people love to see in their early gardens.

Acer palmatum 'Spring Delight' original tree

Acer palmatum 'Spring Delight'

There are a number of green laceleaf maples in the trade, but one of my favorites is Acer palmatum 'Spring Delight', and largely because the fresh yellowish-green new growth is edged with red. As the season progresses the foliage darkens to green and the red margin is not so evident, but still it's as nice as any other green laceleaf. 'Spring Delight' originated as a seedling at Buchholz Nursery but I don't have any record of the parent tree. It was at least ten years old when a visitor admired it and wanted to buy it. For some reason I said it wasn't for sale, but that event prompted me to propagate and name it, and I sold the first grafts in about 1998. The original tree was planted in the Display Garden, and I see it every day when I look out the office window. I have sold a couple of thousand I suppose in the past twenty years, mostly as one-year grafts, even though as a named cultivar its origin seems most accidental.

Acer palmatum 'Strawberry Spring'

Acer palmatum 'Strawberry Spring' was selected from a group of seedlings with 'Amber Ghost' as the mother tree. 'Amber Ghost' is the strongest grower with the best canopy-shape of all from the original “Ghost” series, and about 100 of its offspring were planted out in full sun in the “real world” at Flora Farm. Every spring I would admire one's happy foliage, even though the original seedling grew as a runt compared to most of the others. As a grafted plant, however, the propagules grow as vigorously and with as good a shape as its 'Amber Ghost' parent. I've mentioned a number of times that an original seedling's growth characteristics are of no importance when describing a cultivar crop, and I now have a vigorous group of 'Strawberry Spring' stock plants that are twice as large as the original seedling.

Acer palmatum 'Bloodgood'

Many cultivars of Japanese maples feature purple-red foliage, and they are judged by how well they “hold” that color in the heat of deep summer. The world doesn't really need an Acer palmatum 'Red Emperor' if we also have Acer palmatum 'Bloodgood', but oh well, we have both. Why would we need an Acer palmatum 'Inaba shidare' if we already have Acer palmatum 'Tamuke yama'? The answer is that one might perform better than the other in certain climates or garden situations. Still, there are way too many cultivars that resemble each other, and maple aficionados such as myself are responsible for the cultivar glut.

Acer palmatum 'Spring Plum'

Because one can tire of the purple-red selections, some of us feel attracted to different kinds of red, like brown-red, orange-red, or what I call: plum-red. Acer palmatum 'Spring Plum' has a delicious foliage color, and you're tempted to drop a few of the burgundy leaves into a glass of pinot noir while you sip and read this blog. Also attractive are the lime-green veins which appear on the young plum-red leaves. The original seedling – from a 'Purple Ghost' mother tree – always looked spectacular in spring, but it wasn't a very strong grower, and worst of all was that many of the leaves would defoliate by August. But as I mentioned earlier (with 'Strawberry Spring') the growth habit and/or problems of the original seedling might not be apparent with a grafted crop, and indeed 'Spring Plum' grafts have impressed us with their vigor and retention of leaves throughout summer.

Acer palmatum 'Rite of Spring'

The Rite of Spring

The Rite of Spring (French Le Sacre du Printemps and in Russian Vesna Svyashchennaya for “sacred spring”) is a ballet and orchestral work by Russian composer Igor Stravinsky. It is also a red palmatum upright that is particularly vibrant in spring, followed by brilliant scarlet autumn foliage. I describe the emerging foliage of maple cultivars as wildly different from the norm, same as with Stravinsky's music. This weekend I walked through four greenhouses of one-gallons that contain hundreds of named varieties – the colors mind-boggling and other-worldly. Reaction to the Rite of Spring music was usually intense, both pro and con, with composer Edgard Varese feeling “drawn to the cruel harmonies and stimulating rhythms.” Composer Julius Harrison said the Rite demonstrated Stravinsky's “abhorrence of everything for which music has stood these many centuries...all human endeavor and progress are being swept aside to make room for hideous sounds...” And some would feel the same about the visual overload of my maple cultivars. Has Buchholz gone nuts with hideous colors?

Acer palmatum 'Spring Surprise'

A pretty maple seedling germinated here and it impressed many with its cream-white variegation on otherwise green leaves. Peculiarly it originated as an offspring from a Japanese maple from the “Ghost series” even though it was totally different from any of them. That illustrates the great fun that can be had here: that in an open-garden setting one maple can befriend another and produce seedlings that result in various Toms, Dicks and Harrys. The vigorous variegated seedling was christened 'Spring Surprise' and early propagation proved successful. Unfortunately the next-generation plants grew lustfully but the variegation virtually disappeared. I planted the original at Flora Farm and the variegation on it is very sparse. So, what I have now is a “cultivar” that flashed-in-the-pan but didn't work out. Worst of all is that I don't remember if I sold or gave away any of the dud...but then in someone else's garden it might grow spectacularly variegated.

Acer palmatum 'Hana matoi'

Granny Smith

So, all of my “springs” have been good, worthy selections, with the exception of 'Spring Surprise'. A few customers still wonder about the surprise, like when will I have it available again? Like I said, one specimen was planted at Flora Farm, while the remainder of the non-stable – for me – stock was converted to rootstock. We grafted Acer palmatum 'Hana matoi' at about 8' into the top branches of the useless 'Spring Surprises'. They do the same thing with apple orchards. For example, if Granny Smith is no longer in favor, you can top graft Gravenstein or Braeburn and you will achieve a harvestable crop of the latter in three or four years by borrowing the hefty trunk and the roots of the old Granny Smith.

Question: What did Granny Smith say to Mr. Gravenstein?

Answer: Can't say – it's incider information.

Ok, another question: If an apple a day keeps the doctor away, what does an onion do?

Answer: Keeps everybody away.

Another question: Why did the boy choose the apple over the pear?

Answer: He liked the apple butter.

I won't, but believe me that I could go on and on, for I have a bushel-load of funny apple jokes.

Oh, one more then – Question: What's the best thing to put into an apple pie?

Answer: Your teeth.

Ok, stop me – no more!

Picea pungens 'Spring Ghost'

Picea pungens 'Spring Ghost' original tree

Picea pungens 'Gebelle's Golden Spring'

Before any of the maples mentioned above were named and introduced, my first “spring” name was for Picea pungens 'Spring Ghost', a selection of Colorado blue spruce that was discovered in a landscape in Minnesota. Gordon Bailey Sr. approached me about 36 years ago to see if I would be interested to custom propagate a tree that he described as having the most incredible spring flush that he had ever seen. I requested a photo which he sent the following spring and I was on board with 200 grafts propagated that winter. Unfortunately only one-half of the grafts took, and some of them only shot a bud or two of sideways growth. After a couple of years of poor results – when great results were attained on other cultivars – I realized that 'Spring Ghost' was not going to make me wealthy. The early grafts didn't shape up into a nice full tree, and besides in summer the new cream-white shoots would burn in full sun. One ex-employee wagged “Spring Ghost, Summer Toast,” at least in Oregon, but in more humid Minnesota it grows much stronger. To my knowledge, no one is currently growing it in commercial numbers. At its best it is a spectacular cultivar and I continue to keep a dozen or so at all times at the nursery. Other spruce cultivars are similar (with the attractive new growth) and much better production items, such as Picea pungens 'Gebelle's Golden Spring' and Picea glauca 'Mac Gold' (AKA 'McConnell's Gold').

Picea pungens 'Spring Blast'

Actually it's not rare for a spruce to produce cream-white or golden new growth...which later hardens to blue or blue-green foliage. Another improvement over the burning 'Spring Ghost' is Picea pungens 'Spring Blast' and it is probably the most blue of the cultivars. It was discovered at another nursery from a crop of about 5,000 seedling-grown Colorado blue spruce – it couldn't be missed – and I named and introduced it in about 1990. A sister seedling from that crop displayed subtle pale-yellow new growth but it wasn't as vibrant. It might still be in the trade as Picea pungens 'Mellow', but I haven't propagated any in the past 10-15 years and I doubt that I even have one left in the collection.

Corylopsis spicata 'Golden Spring'

Another 'Golden Spring' is Corylopsis spicata 'Golden Spring', but unfortunately it also goes by the cultivar name 'Aurea' which can't be valid. It was discovered in Gifu Prefecture, Japan by Seiju Yamaguchi and was patented by the bankrupt Hines Nursery Inc. of Irvine, California. I guess I never understood the politics or legalities of the patent, but since I only propagate in small numbers I don't really care about the details. Anyway the selection is very colorful but requires thoughtful siting, usually in rich, well-drained soil with PM shade. In deep shade it is more green, but in full sun in Oregon it will scorch. The “golden spike winterhazel” blooms in March for us, profusely, before the leaves appear, but it's the rich golden-to-butterscotch foliage that draws my attention, and I can easily rank it into my top ten of favorite shrubs.

Corylopsis willmottiae 'Spring Purple'

The winter-hazel Corylopsis willmottiae 'Spring Purple' is another favorite, and it is aptly named for its lustrous, deep-purple leaves that soon follow the precocious spring bloom event. The leaves eventually evolve to green as the season progresses, and though the type displays early purple foliage, 'Spring Purple' is simply a more-exaggerated version. In my experience all of the Corylopsis possess dubious nomenclature – I'm certainly no expert – so I wonder if 'Spring Purple' is of the species spicata or of the species willmottiae. Is it perhaps a hybrid? I've also seen it described as C. sinensis...so what then? – spicata, sinensis, willmottiae or a combination of the above? I don't know...and I suppose that I'll never know. Remember one thing: that botanical classification is a human endeavor, and that it is not a requisite of the natural world. Nature, and its Kingdoms of Life, don't care or arrange themselves to fit into the cubbyholes of horticultural or botanical convenience.

Magnolia kobus var. loebneri 'Spring Snow'

I've never been certain about Magnolia classification either. In our Master Plant List – our bible of correct spelling and nomenclature, we hope – we list Magnolia kobus var. loebneri 'Spring Snow'. In Magnolias, A Gardener's Guide by Jim Gardiner, it is listed as Magnolia x loebneri 'Spring Snow', with the hybrid being M. kobus and M. stellata. The name loebneri honors Max Loebner who was working in Germany over 100 years ago with Magnolia development. Of course, chance hybrids have appeared in various gardens around the world in the meantime. 'Spring Snow' was selected by Professor Joe McDaniel of the University of Illinois and registered in 1970. At first I assumed that it received its cultivar name due to a preponderance of white tepals which litter the ground just after flowering, but in fact it occurred at flowering which often coincides with the last spring snow of the year in Illinois. In any case, great name.

Ribes sanguineum 'Spring Snow'

Archibald Menzies

Another 'Spring Snow' is the “Flowering currant,” Ribes sanguineum, an easy-to-grow deciduous shrub that blooms in dangling white racemes in March (in Oregon). It's tempting to bring a bouquet into the house to cheer things up, but in less than an hour you'll throw them out for their disagreeable smell. The generic name is from Medieval Latin for “currant,” and that – surprisingly – from Arabic ribas for “rhubarb.” The specific name sanguineum refers to “blood” or “blood-red,” and the species was first discovered by Archibald Menzies in 1793. Menzies (1754-1842) was a Scottish surgeon, botanist and naturalist who visited western North America on the Vancouver Expedition. Of course our native “Douglas fir,” Pseudotsuga menziesii was named in his honor, and I can show you in our local woods where Menzies's fir and the Ribes sanguineum grow among each other, and not far away you'll also find the “Pacific madrone,” Arbutus menziesii.

It's easier to spring out of bed now in April with the morning light than it was last winter in the cold and dark. Frogs were croaking and the birds were singing this morning which helps inspire this old geezer. After all, I'm not a spring chicken anymore.

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Friday, April 5, 2024

The Repeat

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