Engulfed In Seed Orders

Our iris collection, while containing mostly bearded irises (Iris germanica), also contains some neat Siberian irises (Iris siberica) like 'Magnetism' above (photo by Sue S.). I love Siberian iris and we have many clumps out in the gardens. The most beautiful clumps are in full sun with ample moisture. We probably have 30 or so of this species of iris in the new collection. On another winter day, albeit a warm one, I'll continue to keep putting nice color shots in the blog! We all need our fix as they say.

Small crew today with Little Jerry out bringing in lights and Urban out pruning. Dr. Gredler worked on processing lights and repainting more trash boxes. Janice came in to work on some of her winter projects for the gardens and Vern was in to do some light carpentry duty. We also saw Joanne and Dick H. over here as well. I've been really getting seed orders going. It is important for us to cross reference prices to get the best deal and we're always prepared for modifying orders based on availability problems. I like to have all of our seeds ordered, received and processed by mid-February. Our seed orders are thousands of dollars but with the help of our friendly area growers (we have no greenhouses), we're able to display a vast array of varieties. To the left is Johnny's Seeds (http://www.johnnyseeds.com/), one of my favorites. This catalog has an immense selection of vegetable types and varieties. I'm impressed with how many greens, cover crops and other offerings they have, including plenty of flowers and gardening gear. Started in 1973 by Rob Johnston, this company will be employee owned by 2016. I respect their safe seed pledge that states, We pledge that we do not knowingly buy or sell genetically engineered or modified seeds or plants. Johnny's is also part of the Safe Seed Intiative and the text below is directly from their website:

Agriculture and seeds provide the basis upon which our lives depend. We must protect this foundation as a safe and genetically stable source for future generations. For the benefit of all farmers, gardeners, and consumers who want an alternative, we pledge that we do not knowingly buy or sell genetically engineered seeds or plants. The mechanical transfer of genetic material outside of natural reproductive methods and between genera, families, or kingdoms, poses great biological risks as well as economic, political, and cultural threats. We feel that genetically engineered varieties have been insufficiently tested prior to public release. More research and testing is necessary to further assess the potential risks of genetically engineered seeds. Further, we wish to support agricultural progress that leads to healthier soils, genetically diverse agricultural ecosystems and, ultimately, people and communities.
Johnny's invites organizations, governments, businesses, and individuals to join us in our support of the Safe Seed Initiative.

Below is a standard, dwarf bearded (SDB) iris (Iris germanica) called 'More Reign'. Neat-o.

The Unabated Deer Buffet

Above is 'Born To Please' (Iris germanica) shot by Christine this past spring. I can't wait to see the entire collection peaking this spring and will continue with these "countdown" pictures, all taken by very talented, volunteer photographers. The title of this post could be the new name for Rotary Botanical Gardens. While our 1000' of custom fencing/deer barrier has been good at excluding bambi from our arborvitae, the demolition crew has severely damaged our yews (Taxus sp.), false cypress (Chamaecyparis sp.) and other less tasty evergreens. While I'm an animal rights person, vegan, etc., I'm not a big fan of this open buffet program. The damage will be catastrophic with very little we can do by the end of winter.

We had another good crew today with Little Jerry, Bill and Larry taking down lights and getting up cords out in the garden. Dr. Gredler was back in the horticulture center unwrapping lights from our obelisks and processing the items the fellas were bringing in as well. Marianne came in to work on her iris booklet and probably knows all 500+ varieties by heart after dealing with them for so long! Vern came in for some minor woodworking and we saw Maury, Big John, Gary, Iza, Joanne, Dick P., Hal, Sue M., Deb and others over here today as well. More catalogs! Totally Tomatoes (owned by Jung Seed out of WI) has an amazing array of not only tomatoes (hybrids and heirlooms) but peppers and other vegetables as well. We've used them extensively for our vegetable collections and have been very pleased with the seed quality. Check out their full color catalog or view http://www.totallytomato.com/. To the right is another great source for organic seeds. Seeds of Change (http://www.seedsofchange.com/) is committed to "preserving biodiversity and supporting sustainable organic agriculture since 1989" (as their catalog states). Of all the catalogs I peruse, I think this one has the perfect balance of vegetables, herbs, perennials and annuals. There is something for everyone in this catalog including many heirlooms and old-fashioned varieties. This is also one of the few that includes comprehensive Latin names which is perfect for creating our labels.


My issue of the day is styrofoam cups. Comprised of polystyrene foam, these cups are inexpensive, durable, great for hot and cold beverages and readily available. However, Americans throw out 25 billion of these each year which is enough to circle the earth 436 times. A styrofoam cup that ends up in the landfull today will be a styrofoam cup in 500 years. They are difficult to recycle but I'm not necessarily advocating a change to paper cups. The inputs involved with creating paper cups currently have more energy inputs and more negative environmental impacts than styrofoam. At our horticulture center, we encourage the use of mugs at coffee break so we can minimize disposable cup usage. This is just another "heads up" that so many of our daily routines have direct impact on the environment and it's been reinforced in my mind that just because something can be recycled or is biodegradable (paper cups, paper bags, etc), it doesn't mean that there weren't already negative impacts as a result of the initial creation of that product. How do we minimize our reliance on products that can be easily replaced with a more appropriate choice?

Holiday Lights Set-Up (In Reverse)

Today began the epic take down of the holiday lights show which can be (and is) complicated by snow and ice conditions and temperature. The gang was able to bring in many of the obelisks as seen in the picture to the left with Jerry and Bill working with Dr. Gredler (seen unwinding). Marv, Terry, Larry and Dick W. started the process outside and it will take a couple months to get everything in as much of the show is frozen in pretty well. Urban worked on pruning while the carpenter quartet (Dave, Jim, Bob A., Vern) kept busy as did Del who is building more reindeer cutouts for later this year already. Rose came in to work on benches and both Marianne and Janice joined me in the office for various projects. We also saw Maury, Dick H., Charlie and Bob T. today. Lots of work going on!

I'll continue to keep putting in seed source recommendations. To the above right is Stokes (http://www.stokesseeds.com/) out of Buffalo, NY that has been around since 1881. In terms of quantity of seed for my orders, this catalog is one of my top five suppliers as their selection is very nice for many types of vegetables and annuals in particular. Stokes caters to the home gardener and farmer alike and is always well-received in my mailbox. To the left is a very interesting catalog from J.L. Hudson (La Honda, CA) that offers a fascinating array of seeds from around the world. Founded in 1911 by Harry Saier, the current operation is run by David Theodoropoulus who incidentally, wrote a fascinating book called Invasion Biology - Critique of a Pseudoscience. Very interesting. J.L. Hudson, which terms itself a "public access seed bank", has a website at http://www.jlhudsonseeds.net/. While only a black and white catalog, the descriptions are engaging and informative with comic relief throughout. I wouldn't be without this catalog although we usually order only specialty varieties as needed.

Above is a picture of my environmental pet peeve of the day. CDs and similar storage devices, while wonderful mechanisms for data storage, programs, music, games, etc. are primarly made from a mix of polycarbonate, plastic and aluminum. They don't break down easily (500+ years) and are not easily recycled. American consumers buy about 1 billion CDs every year and over four million CDs are thrown away each day. I've thrown away CDs and am feeling pretty guilty about it. I can keep rattling off discouraging facts about the casual disposal of these items but the encouraging news is that there are recent developments in groundbreaking CDs made of corn and some made partly from paper. "Techno-trash" is a huge problem on planet earth and will continue to be so until we can create better systems for reuse and recycling of our technology and its components. Try to maximize your duration of use/sharing for these CDs or look in to various organizations that recycle for you. Peruse http://www.greendisk.com/ and http://www.ecodisk.com/ for some ideas on what these services offer. See 'Wrapped in Raspberry' (Iris germanica) below (picture from Tina) that should be peaking like this in only 139 days, but who is counting? :)

Emails Abound

Above is a laser engraver up at Olbrich Botanical Gardens (Madison, WI) that they use for their plant labels and other signage needs. This is an impressive operation and Robert (at Olbrich) does a nice job with their labeling program. I show this because a recent, generous grant should allow us to purchase one of these with the intent of upgrading our existing labels over the next couple of years. I've been sending out many emails today looking for additional sources of revenue that might help us purchase all the additional materials required for this labeling upgrade (labels, stakes, etc.). I think I sent a record number of emails today as I'm trying to address many issues that would be quite difficult to make time for in March, this laser engraver included. Should be a pretty sweet set up once purchased, installed, understood and utilized.

The catalogs I'm showing here today are smaller operations but with great offerings, many of which are organic. I truly believe in patronizing the smaller operations and we've obtained quality seed from both places. High Mowing Seeds (Vermont) has some great vegetable varieties and offers 100% Certified Organic Seeds (since 1996) and some nice gardening supplies as well (http://www.highmowingseeds.com/). The Natural Gardening Company (California) is the oldest certified organic nursery in the United States (http://www.naturalgardening.com/). They offer the perfect mix of veggies, flowers, herbs and some tools/supplies too. Definitely worth taking a look at both nurseries. Don't just patronize the goliaths with their fancy catalogs!
Larry and Bill came in today and took care of all the snow removal (we had 5" of fluff). Dick H. was kind enough to plow our lot as he usually does and Dr. Gredler was in working on his trash bin painting project. We saw Maury, Bill O. and Sue M. today as well. Aside from my copius emails, I worked on seed ordering which will need to be 90% of my focus next week. Nice shot above of one section of our iris collection last spring near the arboretum. That's Marianne tending the collection and it looks like Kay zipping by on a cart in the background. Marianne has done a great job keeping 500+ irises healthy (and organized). We can't wait to see this collection this spring (more on that later!). Below is a close up of bearded iris (Iris germanica 'American Master') shot by Tim, one of our volunteer photographers. Inspiring shot.

Odds and Ends

We've had a light snow all day that actually looks quite nice up in the trees right now. I confess that the picture above was taken years ago and I totally lucked out with the sun coming thru the Japanese garden. While we never really saw the sun today, it was pleasant at my desk (72 degrees F) going thru catalog eye candy and dealing with various tasks. I wrote an article about our hosta collection for the American Hosta Society that will go in their summer bulletin this year. We are a national display garden for this group and they would like their membership more familiarized with our garden and collection of hostas (500 or so varieties). I also met with our Home Garden Tour committee and Janice regarding all sorts of spring stuff. We had a decent turnout today with the Grumpy carpenters (Dave, Jim, Bob A. and Vern) keeping busy and Dr. Gredler continuing to paint our trash bins. Larry worked a half day so he could come in tomorrow for snow removal prior to our lights show rental this Saturday. We also saw Maury, Bill and Gary today. We hope to start taking the lights show down next week but may run in to lots of "frozen in" displays and lights. We'll see.

Our catalogs of the day include Seed Savers Exchange (SSE). The catalog to the left is their color catalog although look in to becoming a member of this organization at www.seedsavers.org/ and you will receive more extensive catalog options with thousands of heirloom seed varieties (veggies and other) available from members around the country. With seed diversity decreasing around the world, organizations like SSE (founded in 1975) are invaluable. We've ordered lots of seed thru SSE including many vegetables and a neat amaranth collection years ago. The color catalog is very professional and customer service top notch. Check out the website! Twilley Seed (www.twilleyseed.com/) to the right has always been one of my favorite catalogs. Based in South Carolina, this catalog is a one stop source for a wide range of vegetables and has a wide range of annuals. In 2004 and 2006, we did historical displays of All-America Selections (AAS) award winners (annuals) including varieties from "way back" and found that Twilley carried the most varieties of AAS (www.all-americaselections.org/) of any catalog we researched. Their seed is good quality and although I wish they had more pictures of their annuals, we will continue to be repeat customers. Interesting (but not surprising) article below. This was forwarded to me in an email and "cut & pasted" below. The bottom picture is just for a colorful "fix" and a sample of our dormant iris collection. This is a bearded iris (Iris germanica 'Born to Please').

The Moral Call of the Wild

A study suggests that spending time in nature changes our values

By P. Wesley Schultz

I love spending time outside. From wild places like the backcountry of the Sierra Nevada mountains, to the mundane nature in my back yard, I find comfort in my natural experiences. These places are restful. Peaceful. They restore my batteries, and help me to focus. And I am not alone in these experiences. People around the world seek out natural experiences. Even when confined to built spaces, we add pets, plants, pictures, and momentos from nature. It is part of who we are, and these experiences in nature help us reflect on what is important in life.

The benefits of spending time in nature have been well-documented. Psychological research has shown that natural experiences help to reduce stress, improve mood, and promote an overall increase in physical and psychological well-being. There is even evidence that hospital patients with a view of nature recover faster than do hospital patients without such a view. This line of research provides clear evidence that people are drawn to nature with good reason. It has restorative properties.

But a recent article by researchers at the University of Rochester shows that experiences with nature can affect more than our mood. In a series of studies, Netta Weinstein, Andrew Przybylski, and Richard Ryan, University of Rochester, show that exposure to nature can affect our priorities and alter what we think is important in life... In short, we become less self-focused and more other-focused. Our value priorities shift from personal gain, to a broader focus on community and connection with others.

To demonstrate this effect, they ran a series of studies. In their first study, the researchers randomly assigned individuals to view a slide show that either depicted scenes of human-made or natural environments. The slides were matched across a variety of characteristics, to eliminate the possibility that the results were due to things like color, complexity, or brightness of the images. The participants were instructed to try to immerse themselves in the images—to notice the colors and textures and imagine the sounds and smells. After watching the slide show (which took about 8 minutes), the participants completed a series of questions about their life aspirations.

Of particular interest were responses to extrinsic life aspirations , like being financially successful or admired by many people; as contrasted with intrinsic life aspirations , like deep and enduring relationships, or working toward the betterment of society. The results showed that people who watched the nature images scored significantly lower on extrinsic life aspirations, and significantly higher on intrinsic life aspirations. The effect was particularly strong for participants who reported being “immersed” in the images. This basic effect was further explored in three subsequent studies. The later studies showed the same effect for true nature experiences: being in a small room with plants, for example.

These results are part of a growing body of evidence showing the powerful effect of natural experiences. And, for people like me who enjoy spending time in nature, the results are encouraging. However, when viewed within a larger societal context, the results also provide an intriguing perspective on some noted shifts in the values and priorities or Americans over the past 40 years.

People living in the United States are spending much less time outdoors today than ever before. Data from a variety of sources show that on average, Americans are spending less time outdoors today than they did 30 or even 20 years ago. Children tend to spend more time outside than do adults, but that number too is declining. With the growth of Internet, social networking, on-demand programming, and computer games, there is more to keep us inside than there is to draw us out into the natural environment (or at least, it feels that way).

These trends have not gone unnoticed, of course, and there is a growing concern about the “sedentary lifestyle,” and our loss of connectedness with nature. But the results from Weinstein et al. suggest something else—that this reduction in our exposure to the natural world could drive large-scale shifts in societal values. As their results show, experiences with strictly built environments lead to life aspirations that are more self-focused. These results may help explain the increase in aspirations for fame, wealth, power, achievement, and other self-enhancing values in Western society and predict that this trend is likely to continue.

So the next time you feel like you have lost sight of what is important, take a walk outside. Immerse yourself in the experience. Clear your head by listening to the sounds of the birds, the smell of the sage, and the touch of the breeze. These are the experiences that open our mind and help us to realize that we are part of a larger community.

Another Day in the Office

Well, it's still cold outside. Looks like some snow on the way. Small crew today. Dr. Gredler and Urban worked on painting and sanding respectively while we saw Marianne, Marv, Maury, Vern, Del and Dick H. Bill was here earlier cleaning up our trash bins for repainting by Dr. G. I did a presentation for the Golden Kiwanis Club here in Janesville this morning with Rod. It was a nice group and of course we hit them up for memberships too. On the horizon this week for me is more seed ordering and finishing up my early February presentations.

Two seed catalogs are shown here. I utilize both of these extensively as they seem to have new offerings each year. Vesey's (from Maine) has a nice catalog and runs the full gamut of vegetable and flower seed. They've been around over 70 years and their seed quality is very good. They also have a neat section at the end of the catalog with tools and gardening stuff. The other catalog is Fedco (also from Maine) that has an amazing array of seeds including many heirloom vegetables. The catalog is black and white (which doesn't bother me) but very witty in terms of descriptions. Lots of little historical information too. It is an enjoyable read. Their seed is good but oddly enough, they don't take phone or FAX orders. Regardless, I recommend both of these seed companies based on personal experience over the past 10 years. I do want to mention that these are personal endorsements based on my experience and I don't get anything for mentioning these sources (although I would take free seed....). Included below is a great article by Janice Peterson, one of our grounds horticulturists, on plant trademarks that should help clarify some confusing issues regarding this topic. Enjoy...Bottom picture is of Calathea ornata 'Roseo-lineata' up at the Olbrich Conservatory. Exquisite.

Cultivar Trademarks and Patents

By Janice Peterson, RPMGV

I own a Black Lace ™ elderberry. I also own a Sambucus nigra ‘Eva’. They are the exact same plant. Chances are my fellow gardeners will recognize the former name more often than the latter. With the advent of intellectual property rights in horticulture comes a whole lot of confusion as to the naming of plants. Just reading the plant tags at a nursery is a lesson in legal abbreviations: ™, ®, PPAF, PP, PVR and so on. Here I will attempt to demystify some of these terms, and discuss some of the controversy associated with naming cultivars.

Botanical Names

The true name of any cultivated plant is governed by the International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants (ICNCP). The primary purpose of this internationally recognized code is to ensure that each plant has one and only one unique, proper name. Generally a cultivar is given a botanical name (a genus and species, which are italicized to indicate their foreign word origin) followed by a cultivar epithet. The epithet is capitalized and set in between single quotes, and not italicized. So my elderberry, according to ICNCP, is Sambucus nigra ‘Eva’.

Trademarks

A trademark identifies a brand, not a plant cultivar itself. Think Tylenol®, which is the brand name for a line of products containing acetaminophen. Brands are identified by a ™ (trademark) or ® (registered trademark), depending on what stage they’re at in the legal process with the US Patent and Trademark Office. Trademarks are renewable every 10 years. A plant variety can be marketed under a brand name, but the botanical name of that variety is not part of the trademark. For instance, my elderberry is marketed by Proven Winners, LLC under the trademarked brand Sambucus nigra Black Lace ™ even though under the ICNCP it’s Sambucus nigra ‘Eva’. Many times the trademark is used in a series, such as the Wave® petunias. Anyone can asexually propagate a trademarked plant, and even sell it, but only the owner of the trademark name can use it for marketing that plant. Other nurseries must create their own trademark name or use the botanical name. An interesting example of this is the rose Rosa ‘Korlanum’, which is marketed by three different nurseries each using their own trademarked name (Surrey™, Sommerwind™ and Vente D’ete™). The public might think these are three different roses, but in fact they are all the same rose, Rosa ‘Korlanum’. On the other hand, a nursery using a trademark name can change which cultivar to which the name is attached. In other words, the only way you really know what you are getting is to check the botanical name!

Plant Patents

Sometimes on a plant tag you will encounter a PP# or PPAF, along with a stern warning such as “asexual reproduction of this plant is prohibited”. A company may be granted a PP (plant patent) or a PPAF (plant patent applied for) by the US Patent and Trademark Office. A PP is good for twenty years from date of application. A license must be obtained from the patent holder in order for anyone else to take cuttings from that plant, even for one’s own personal use. However, there is no regulation against using the patented plant for sexual reproduction. The patented plant can be crossed with other varieties, creating offspring that are not regulated by the plant patent. When a plant is patented (or pending) a royalty is paid to the owner of the patent for each plant sold. Some other terms that might be encountered are PVP (plant variety protection) or PVR (plant variety rights); these give somewhat similar legal rights as plant patents.
There is much controversy about the use of trademarks and patents in the horticultural industry. Certainly, patents protect the financial investment of the developer of new varieties. However, they are costly and time consuming to pursue. Some nurseries feel that trademarks offer the same protection without going through the more costly route of patenting. This is untrue, as only a patent offers full legal protection to the breeder of a cultivar. Trademarks, however, can be very useful. Brand name recognition is a powerful marketing tool.
Some in the industry worry that we are losing our ability to properly identify varieties, as trademark names are more often being mistaken for the true botanical name. Obviously, it is an advantage to nurseries to have the public think of a plant by their proprietary trademark name and not the botanical name.

The concern that the ICNCP rules for naming plants are not being properly followed is legitimate. Simply look up Black Lace™ elderberry in catalogs and university extension postings and you will find it time and again incorrectly referred to it as Sambucus nigra ‘Black Lace’, as if that were the proper botanical epithet. Developers of new cultivars are increasingly giving them non-sensical cultivar names (a violation of the ICNCP, which directs cultivar names to be a word or words in modern language). The result is that it’s much easier for the public to refer to the cultivar by the trademarked name than the botanical name. An example of this is the Virginia sweetspire Little Henry®. At the end of its patent period it can be sold by other nurseries as Itea virginica ‘Sprich’, an unrecognizable and non-marketable name (unless, of course they develop their own new trademarked name at that point). Nurseries and breeders certainly deserve to protect their breeding investments and be able to profitably market their stock, but hopefully not at the cost of proper nomenclature. Let’s not forget that the reason the International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants was developed in 1952 was to create accuracy and standardization, and help avoid confusion among cultivar names.

References
http://extension.oregonstate.edu/news/story.php?S_No=820&storyType=garde
http://www.ishs.org/sci/icraname.htm
http://www.plantdelights.com/Tony/trademark.html
http://www.planthaven.com/pdfs/PatentFAQ.pdf
http://www.rdrop.com/~paul/main.trademark.html

Is It Spring Yet?

Nice orchid shots (varieties unknown) throughout this posting. These were all seen up at Olbrich Botanical Gardens this past weekend. Winter is a great time to travel to your local conservatory or even garden center to get your horticultural fix. That's not to say that our winter gardens aren't interesting but the lack of flowers can be discouraging after a rough winter and extreme cold. I've seen some really neat orchid shows over the years too. Check out www.orchidguild.org/ if you'd like to see some upcoming shows in this general area or "sniff around" your area for similar events.

I've been juggling lots of projects today and bouncing between seed ordering, presentation preparation, administrative stuff, etc. It's never boring, that's for sure! Larry brought in more garbage bins from the gardens for repair and repainting while Dr. Gredler continued to paint various items "in need." Bill came in to help Larry and we saw Janice, Maury and Chuck as well. Chuck (see below to the right) has been recycling our aluminum cans over the past 8 years from the horticulture center and donates the money back to the gardens. He's not shy about soliciting cans from other venues and keeps busy year round with this activity that has brought in thousands of dollars to the gardens. He and his wife are also very active volunteers here and elsewhere. What a great contribution (and contributor!). In the coming weeks, we're also getting prepared for the Wisconsin Public Television (WPT) Garden Expo up at the Alliant Center in Madison, WI (www.wpt.org/gardenexpo/) on February 12-14. Our booth is a great way to expose the gardens to 20,000+ attendees and both Mike M. and I will be doing presentations as well. Lots of work coming up in the coming weeks and despite my blog title, I'm not ready for spring yet...not even close. Well, back to seed ordering. I'm going to feature a gardening catalog of choice in upcoming posts. The intent is not so much a promotion of one company over another, simply an indication of where I'm ordering some materials and what I think about that source. I'll start with seed sources tomorrow!