udbg friends - College of Agriculture and Natural Resources

UDBG FRIENDS
UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE BOTANIC GARDENS
FALL 2015 – WINTER 2016
Daylilies to Debut as Spring Plant Sale’s
First Herbaceous Feature Plant by Bob Lyons
It’s hard to imagine a garden without daylilies, and for good
reason. Few other perennials offer the seemingly impossible
array of qualities found within a single genus (Hemerocallis).
Single vs. double flowers, tall vs. short plant habits, fragrance
vs. none whatsoever,
early vs. late to flower,
and flower colors across
a spectrum lacking blue
make daylilies uniquely
capable of pleasing most
any gardener, from rank
amateur to seasoned
professional. Whether
endeared as a straight
species or complex
hybrids, daylilies also
exhibit a proven and
wide tolerance for
variable soil conditions
Hemerocallis ‘Strawberry Candy’
and sun exposure.
will be among the 25+ daylily cultivars
Simply put, these plants
featured at the 2016 Spring Plant Sale.
perform in spite of
conditions that would
Image: Oakes Daylilies
challenge most other perennials. Resilience is their middle
name!
For the first time in UDBG plant sale history, an herbaceous
plant will be featured alongside a woody (Aesculus,
Horsechestnut) species at the 2016 Spring Plant Sale.
Daylilies are deserving of that inaugural honor and at
least 25 different cultivars have been carefully selected to
represent what is an enormous palette of species and hybrids.
Additionally, most are the recipients of prestigious awards
as judged by Hemerocallis
experts, who often focus
IN THIS ISSUE
on rewarding superior
combinations of garden
Director’s Corner ......................
performance, unique flower
Where are They Now?...............
color, flower quantity/plant,
Volunteer Spotlight is Dimmer ....
the ability to rebloom, and
UDBG in NWF Guide .................
seasonal flowering time,
Native Trees & Shrubs Classes.....
among other considerations.
New RAP Gardens for 2016 .......
One of those awards, the
Hypertufa “Mudpies”.................
Stout Silver Medal, is granted
Holiday Gift Ideas. ...................
by the American Hemerocallis
Society (AHS) to a cultivar
cont’d on page 6
top: Fall blooming Camellia
‘Autumn Spirit’ at the UDBG
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Director’s Corner
by John Frett
As cooler days and even cooler evenings
affect the rich colors of fall foliage, do
not underestimate the tenacity of some
plants and their autumnal flowers,
including False-holly (Osmanthus
×heterophyllus), Fortune’s osmanthus
(Osmanthus ×fortunei), fall camellia (Camellia sasanqua)
and tea (Camellia sinensis). A lovely tea plant is located
in the new hydrangea garden completed this summer
by UDBG’s summer interns and the 2013-2015
curatorial graduate student Jason Veil (see update on
page 4 for news on Jason). Late-season color on the
hydrangeas, the evergreen framework of the hollies,
and a diverse selection of other plants that provide
interest throughout the year are worth a visit.
In addition to the new hydrangea garden, the
summer interns added 150 new woody trees and
shrubs to the plant collection and completed a paved
serpentine walkway near UDBG’s office in the
South Greenhouse that reaches from the front of the
building to the side. We invite you to come walk this
pathway and enjoy its plantings next time you visit.
We whole-heartedly thank the summer interns for their
work. Julia Conrad, Natalie Felice, Sarah Morales, and
Caroline Toth were hard-working, dedicated interns
who achieved great things this summer. An effective team
and a pleasure to work with, they are outstanding garden
ambassadors. (UDBG even outfitted them in UDBG
blue & gold t-shirts for
instant recognition.)
[T]he generous support We are fortunate to
have retained Carrie
of Plant Sale Patrons... for this fall to continue
tradition. Also,
allows us to accomplish the
we’d like to extend
great things for student a warm welcome
Anna Bower,
education experiences. to
UDBG’s 2015-2017
curatorial graduate
student. She worked
diligently throughout the summer to accession and
to map the additions to UDBG’s plant collection.
A graduate of Willamette University in Salem,
Oregon, Anna was a Natural Areas Intern at the
Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania.
cont’d on page 3
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top: Intern Carrie Toth helps pave the new serpentine walkway in the
South Greenhouse Garden. middle: Summer interns Julia Conrad (left),
Carrie Toth, Natalie Felice, and Sarah Morales are a hard-working team.
bottom: Gardener Jackie Perry takes the new utility vehicle for a spin.
Images, from top: Sarah Morales / L. Yeager / Melinda Zoehrer
Director’s Corner
cont’d from page 2
Prior to that, she was a Nursery Management
Intern at Longwood Gardens. When not in class
or teaching Botany 1 lab, Anna can be found in the
UDBG office or mapping plants on the grounds.
Many of our Student Programs, including Summer
Interns and the Curatorial Graduate Student, depend
on the generous support of our Plant Sale Patrons, who
allow us to accomplish great things for student education.
I would like to thank everyone who participated
2014/2015, and, in particular, the generous individuals
who sponsored an entire summer student internship with
a gift of $5,000: Donna Gerst and Glenn Hardcastle,
Betty and Robert Shellenbarger, Elizabeth and
William Sharp, and P. Coleman and Susan Townsend.
Finally, I would like to thank Dean Mark Reiger for
his tremendous support for the UDBG. Through his
generosity, he funded the purchase of a new utility
vehicle for the interns and garden maintenance.
The old “hummer” served us well for more than
20 years but was in dire need of repairs, impeded
by the fact parts were no longer available. If it were
not for the Dean’s generosity, we would be pushing
wheelbarrows and pulling trailers by hand. I greatly
appreciate his continuing support of the UDBG.
Aronia arbutifolia (red chokeberry)
Image: Rick Darke
A Special Thank You
As a college professor, volunteer, staunch supporter, donor, and a good friend,
Bob Lyons is a constant source of inspiration. His generosity with his time as
President of the UDBG Advisory Board, his organization of the dynamic Color
Trials, and his unsurpassed $25,000 gift are a measure of his belief in the UDBG.
He sets an example of how actions speak louder than words, his desire to make
a difference, and his gift sets a new standard for commitment and support for
the UDBG. We owe him warm, heart-felt thanks.
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Where Are They Now?
News & notes from past students/interns
Former UDBG Curatorial
Graduate Student Jason
Veil (‘15), was recently
awarded the Holly Society
of America’s Shiu-Ying
Hu Award for “outstanding
contribution to the knowledge
of the genus Ilex.” Last August,
Jason was hired as Director
of Horticulture for The
Trustees of Reservations,
a nonprofit conservation
organization in Massachusetts
that preserves more than a
Past interns Emma Brown (left) hundred properties of scenic,
and Sarah Morales practice skills
learned in UD Blossoms with a historic, and ecological value.
dried arrangement (in a classical Jason’s curatorial expertise
concrete urn donated by Jackie and leadership skills will be
Perry). Image: Melinda Zoehrer
put to work overseeing twelve
public gardens across the state. As the institution’s
inaugural director, he is responsible for day-to-day
management of horticultural, curatorial, and research
activities as well as long-range organizational planning.
We wish him the best of luck in his new endeavor!
Past UDBG summer interns Sarah Morales (2015)
and Emma Brown (2014) were selected to be the
first participants in UD Blossoms, a 6-month
interdisciplinary learning experience that provides
flower arrangements for special events on campus.
Through a partnership between boutique event
company THERESA Floral Design and the UD
College of Agricultural and Natural Resources, Sarah
and Emma are getting plenty of hands-on experience
in all aspects of the floral design business, from
purchasing and design to marketing and selling.
Matt Lobdell (’13), past UDBG Curatorial Graduate
Student, now serves as Curator and Head of
Collections at The Morton Arboretum, in Lisle,
Illinois, an internationally recognized outdoor tree
museum on 1,700 acres. Since his appointment in
January 2015, he has been responsible for managing
the Arboretum’s living collections, one of the
most comprehensive collections of woody plant in
North America. His work includes overseeing tree
collections that have earned special recognition from
the North American Plant Collections Consortium,
a network of gardens dedicated to conserving plants
and setting standards for collections management.
Former summer intern Cat Meholic reports that a recent
visit to the UDBG “brought back my fond memories of
my internship back in 2008, and made me appreciate the
start that UDBG gave me to my current path.” As the
Plant Recorder at Mt. Cuba Center in Greenville, DE,
she is tasked with keeping track of the garden’s extensive
collection of plants native to the Appalachian Piedmont
Region. Working with a team of interns and volunteers,
Cat uses a digital inventory and mapping database to
record plant locations, manage labels, and keep everything
(and everyone!) up-to-date on plant name changes.
Volunteer Spotlight is Dimmer
The UDBG was dealt a one-two punch this summer with
the passing of two of our loyal volunteers. Delia “Dilly”
Schwartz passed away on August 9th, and Cecily Cooper
the following day, on August 10th. Both Dilly & Cecily
assisted in the Tuesday morning potting group and at our
plant sales. Dilly was also a fixture in our garden sessions.
Their kindness, spirit of adventure, and willingness
to share of their time and talents are sorely missed.
Dilly Schwartz
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Cecily Cooper
UDBG Gardens Featured
in National Publication
Last September, the National Wildlife Federation (NWF)
released The Campus Wild: How College and University
Green Landscapes Provide Havens for Wildlife “Landson” Experiences for Students. UDBG was featured in
the publication, which highlights 85 higher education
institutions, representing all 50 states including the
District of Columbia, and showcases a variety of habitatrelated projects from diverse regions across the U.S.
The richly detailed guide highlights how colleges
and universities are playing a dynamic role protecting
wildlife and restoring habitats in campus green
spaces—including on-campus landscapes and natural
areas, as well as distant campus-owned lands. It
explores how such green places—dedicated to “The
Wild”—also can benefit students, faculty, and staff
with leadership opportunities, hands-on learning,
energy savings, water conservation, and much more.
“Providing places for wildlife in our
communities—whether at home, schools,
businesses, or at nearby parks.... There is
no more rewarding way to stay connected
to nature right outside your door.”
— David Mizejewski,
Naturalist, National Wildlife Federation
How College and University
Green Landscapes Provide
Havens for Wildlife and “Lands-on”
Experiences for Students
A NATIONAL WILDLIFE FEDERATION REPORT
By Kristy Jones, Courtney Cochran,
David J. Eagan, and Juliana Goodlaw-Morris
Forewords by
W. Daniel Svedarsky, University of Minnesota, Crookston
Doug Inkley, National Wildlife Federation
Section 1
Male monarch butterfly nectaring on swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) at the University of Delaware.
Photo: Melinda Zoehrer
The gardens feature many native tree species including
pawpaw, persimmon, American yellowwood, blackgum,
American hickory, white ash, sweet birch, river birch, and
pitch pine. A wide variety of birds and “herps” have been
sighted there: woodcocks, Virginia rails, northern waterthrush,
green frogs, bullfrogs, garter snakes, black snakes, and Eastern
painted turtles. Numerous butterflies and moths also have been
documented including Eastern swallowtail, American lady,
painted lady, and cloudless sulphur.
between habitat size and change in songbird populations over
time. A recent graduate student project looked at nesting
parasitism of wood thrush nests in Ecology Woods (with 20
birds) and elsewhere in Newark, finding that wood thrush
nest success was heavily affected by cowbirds, which lay their
eggs in the nests of other birds. Other research efforts include
determining if insects are more attracted to native plant
cultivars or to wild native plants, and which native plants
provide pollinators with the most nutritious pollen and nectar.
A new
National
highlights
the UDBG’s role in providing
wildlife
habitat and
on the
UD campus.
Theoffer
full guide
can be downloaded
The Botanic
Gardens
Ecology
Woods
year-round
Located
close
to theWildlife
BotanicFederation
Gardensguide
is a 35-acre
pristine
the NWF
Campus
Ecology
website
at http://www.nwf.org/Campus-Ecology/Resources/Reports/The-Campus-Wild.aspx
Images: NWF
internship opportunities for students to gain hands-on
natural area calledfrom
Ecology
Woods.
There,
where
access
is
research experience and skills for working in public gardens.
restricted, students study the effects of habitat fragmentation
Internships not only help the university maintain the gardens
and other stresses on threatened species. Ecology Woods is the
and advance research on native plant and animal species, they
site of the longest (more than 35 years) continuous ecological
also provide the experience needed for students to be successful
field study in North America on the population health of forest
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in their careers.
songbirds, including the wood thrush. Research by more than
Daylilies
cont’d from page 1
that has previously received the Award of
Merit from AHS, so it’s an award for an
already-awarded cultivar--very selective,
indeed! Six of the cultivars in this year’s
sale are Stout Award winners, one of which
being ‘Ruffled Apricot’; a stunning, fragrant,
oversized (7 inches) flower in rich apricot
and one of the most popular daylilies of
all time. All told, our sale inventory has 10
award-winning cultivars, represented by the
Stout and AHS Award of Merit, including
‘Buttered Popcorn’, ‘Fairy Tale Pink’,
‘Strawberry Candy’, and ‘Frankly Scarlet’.
Yet tucked within the array of prestigious
award winners in the sale, but not to be
overshadowed, is ‘Hyperion’. Though winner
of no awards, it has indeed won the hearts
and attention ever since being introduced
commercially in the 1920’s. To say that this
daylily is the “queen of the tried-and-true”
would be an understatement. Each ‘Hyperion’
flower is 5 inches across, lemon yellow,
fragrant, and perched atop 3-foot scapes.
Hands down, it is one of the most requested
cultivars by the landscape trade due to its
certifiably bold display and bullet-proof,
reliable performance.
It would be unfair not to mention that
daylilies are favorite deer food. Everyone
seems to have their favorite remedy to deter
deer, so talk to fellow gardeners and pick your
option. Effective choices include most of the
commercially available repellents that are
diluted and sprayed on the plants and flowers,
deer netting, pet dogs, and homemade
concoctions containing chili peppers, garlic,
rotten eggs, and/or ground pepper, among
many other assorted ingredients. Bottom line,
don’t be deterred from including daylilies in
your own garden this year!
clockwise, from top: The ever-popular ‘Hyperion’,
the 2003 All-America Selection ‘Frankly Scarlet’,
AHS award winners ‘Buttered Popcorn’ and ‘Fairy Tale Pink’,
and the richly fragrant ‘Ruffled Apricot’. Images: Oakes Daylilies
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Native beauties like Ostrya virginana (American hop hornbeam) (left) and Viburnum acerifolium (mapleleaf viburnum)
will be highlighted in the upcoming lecture/lab series by UDBG Director John Frett. Images: Rick Darke
Lecture and Lab Series
Begins January 2016
Reciprocal Admissons
Program Expands
“Regional Native Trees & Shrubs”
New Gardens for 2016
Mini-Series Lectures & Lab by Dr. John Frett
Classes/labs: 6:30-8:30 p.m., 132 Townsend Hall
• Canopy Trees – Wednesday, January 13
• Understory trees – Wednesday, January 20
• Shrubs – Wednesday, January 27
White Clay Creek walk*: 9-11 a.m., Saturday, January 23
UDBG Friends: $25/session;
Nonmembers: $35/session
*Walk free with 3 paid classes, or else same cost as above
Become familiar with the beauty we often take for
granted on our daily commutes and our weekend
strolls. Join UDBG Director John Frett as we discuss
the cultural (light and soil requirements, ease of
growth) of these native beauties and how they may
fit into your home landscape. The walk will provide
an opportunity to view many of the plants in person
and discuss their identification more fully.
• Mt. Cuba Center – Hockessin, DE
• Miami Beach Botanical Garden –
Miami Beach, FL
• Ormond Beach Memorial Art Museum
& Gardens – Ormond Beach, FL
• The Botanic Garden at Historic Barns ParkTraverse City, MI
• Binghamton Zoo at Ross Park –
Binghamton, NY
• Mercer Botanic Gardens – Humble, TX
• The East Texas Arboretum & Botanical Society –
Athens, TX
• Thanksgiving Point Gardens – Lehi, UT
• PowellsWood Garden – Federal Way, WA
• W.W. Seymour Botanical Conservatory –
Tacoma, WA
Registration and prepayment required:
botanicgardens@udel.edu or 302-831-2531
Visit the American Horticultural Society website
for the full list of special admissions privileges and
discounts for UDBG members:
Inclement weather dates: Thursdays 1/14, 1/21, 1/28.
Payment will be refunded for cancellations made 10 business days prior.
http://www.ahs.org/gardening-programs/rap/find
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Mudpies? Nope, It’s Hypertufa
It may have looked like they were just getting messy to enjoy a youthful blast
from the past, but the 20 mudpie-makers that donned rubber gloves and
masks in August were making hypertufa leaves and mushrooms for display
in their gardens. What fun! A special thanks to UDBG members Catherine
Buckminster, Amy Smith and Donna Gerst for leading the effort.
Images: Valann Budischak
UDBG Holiday Ideas
SPRING PLANT SALE
 2016 UDBG Classes
Wed., Apr. 27, 4:30-6 pm — Patrons Only
Thurs, Apr. 28, 3-6 pm — Members Only
Fri., Apr. 29, 3-6 pm — General Public
Sat., Apr. 30, 9:30am - 4 pm — General Public
3 Gifts to Enjoy Giving and Receiving
~ SAVE THE DATE ~
“Regional Native Trees & Shrubs”
Mini-Lecture & Lab Series with Dr. John Frett
See details on page 7.
 UDBG Friends Membership
Visit http://ag.udel.edu/udbg/friends/udbgfriends.html
or call 302-831-0153
 2016 Spring Plant Sale Gift Certificate
Call 302-831-0153 or email mzoehrer@udel.edu
Contact Information
Telephone 302-831-0153 • http://canr.udel.edu/udbg
Newsletter editor: Susan Baldwin • Director: Dr. John Frett
Assistant Director: Melinda Zoehrer
Volunteer and Education Coordinator: Valann Budischak
Visit the UD Botanic Gardens
UDBG is open to visitors everyday from sunrise to sunset; admission is free.
Please obtain a visitor parking pass (fee: $3.00) on-line at
https://udel.t2hosted.com/cmn/index.aspx
The University of Delaware
is an Equal Opportunity/Title IX institution. Pleaseorvisit www.udel.edu/
use the metered parking
near
the UDairy Creamery.
ExecVP/policies/personnel/4-40.html
to read
our anti-discrimination
policy in its entirety.
The University of Delaware is an Equal Opportunity/Title IX institution. Please visit www.udel.edu/ExecVP/policies/personnel/4-40.html to read our anti-
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