David Austin damask hybrid roses on the gazebo Rosea refers to pink in Latin, it is a specific epithet for many genera. Genus Rosa refers to rose, now a rose doesn't need any introduction, does it? But a 'damask rose' certainly needs to be re-introduced, just as all heirloom roses should be re-introduced in our gardens. The fragrance of a damask, gallica or a moschata rose is unlike any other. Left to right: Damask, David Austin, and Rosa gallica roses In between the many centuries of hybridization, the true 'essence' of a rose is somewhere long lost. "A form of Damask rose was first noted in Italy in the 16th century which flowered more than once. Until the arrival in Europe of roses from the Far East, in the 18th century, the ‘Autumn Damask’ was the only rose to exhibit this repeat-flowering characteristic." https://historicroses.org/damasks/ Heirloom roses are a must for every summer garden. They are polar opposite of a 'knock out', they don't re bloom again and again and might not have the brightest colors, but heirloom roses are the true roses, one with a fragrance to linger. But both hybridized knock out roses and heirloom roses have their place in a garden. For example, if you want to plant a rose by a high foot traffic area, full sun and low maintenance garden bed, check out the 'knock out roses'. Their newest colors in trade, faint apricot, coral pinks, soft yellows, the palette for 'knock-out' roses is plenty. On the other hand, if you have a cottage garden theme, or want to enhance a hardscape, a pergola/arbor/porch or a pollinator garden, heirloom roses would be prefect! You don't need a load of blossoms to enjoy these roses, one tiny blossom has plenty aroma for a whole garden and even the pollen pantry is plentiful! Sinocalycanthus Blooming currently in the ornamental gardens are also two unique flowers, Sinocalycanthus and 'Rut-pink' Dogwood. Sweet shrub, Calycanthus is a beautiful one for dappled shade or full sun gardens. But delicate pearly white blossoms of Sinocalycanthus are outstanding. Here is more info.: 2015_Calycanthus_Sweetshrub.pdf (udel.edu) Rut-Pink Dogwood Dogwoods are synonymous with mid-Atlantic spring gardens. They are a beautiful small tree or shrub for any semi-shade garden. But try 'Rut-pink' "Rutgers is introducing our first Cornus kousa in 45 years of breeding. This new cultivar, 'Rutpink', is trade named Scarlet Fire® dogwood, and is our darkest, most-consistently pink-bracted selection, with deep pink to fuchsia coloration at its peak. This new cultivar is the product of a long standing program of hybridization and selection of big-bracted dogwoods, in this instance the result of an open-pollination event of an unnamed pink-bracted Cornus kousa breeding selection held in the Rutgers University germplasm collection." https://agproducts.rutgers.edu/dogwood/scarlet_fire.html Scarlet pink or faint baby pink damasks or dainty pearly white Sinocalycanthus, this week, all of these blooms surely make the gardens at London Town feel like a garden of Paradise!

Walking down the moist London Town woodlands along the South River, with endless Azalea and Rhododendron mature blossoms, is truly a privilege! Spring 2022 was another splendid display of Azaleas and Rhododendrons in the woodland gardens of London Town. Week after week, it has been a stunning display of color, from and even texture of elipidotes and lepidote Rhododendrons. It is one of our biggest primary collection, in terms of species, varieties and quantity. Coral bells, Satsuzkis, Gable hybrids, Glen dales, Kurumes, Dexters and one of newest and prettiest collections the Marshy Points have given a fabulous display of colors and forms. Currently, the large Rhododendrons are in bloom, amongst which the Catwaba Rhododendron is the most precious. A beautiful native species, the Catwaba Rhododendron was one of the first plantings in the woodland gardens. https://www.monticello.org/.../in.../catawba-rhododendron/ "The native Rhododendrons are mainly inhabitants of the temperate deciduous forests and most are found on the wooded acidic slopes of hills and mountains, although R. roseum (Loisel.) Rehd. and R. oblongifolium (Small) Millais do grow on limestone soil. The separation of the North American and Asiatic species has been attributed to continental drift and/or land bridges that have recently subsided. In North America the separation of the western and eastern species probably is due to the formation of mountain ranges during the late Tertiary and the glacial period" https://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejo.../JARS/v37n3/v37n3-roane.htm Come and enjoy the last few weeks of Rhododendron blooms. The Marshy Points and Dexters are stunning this season!

'Wild Azalea Hills' is the name of one of the garden beds that was designed 50 years ago when the gardens were established. Several varieties of native Azaleas and Rhododendrons covering the hillside rolling down near a ravine, facing the beautiful South River, must have been a view to behold! But overgrowth of some shrubs and vines had covered the hillside and restoration was much in need. Tuesdays at London Town are busy, it is our garden volunteer day, and we are so very appreciative of everyone who joins us to work hands-on in the gardens. One of such Tuesday mornings in early spring, our garden volunteers worked on a hillside that was just emerging from winter dormancy. As they removed the vines and cleared the overgrowth, we discovered a new path that led us to find the lost old 'Wild Azalea Hills'. The origin of some of the Azaleas that were planted 50 years ago on the 'Wild Azalea Hills ' is unknown. But we hope to bring in true 'Wild collected' Azaleas and do our best towards ex-situ conservation of these beautiful species. London Town Gardens has been working with two members of the Potomac Valley Chapter Society who have been graciously helping us identify the species we have in the gardens, provide seeds of wild-collected species and also connect us with some of the best sources to find unique Azaleas for the gardens. Here are some neat links from, Don Hyatt's website, if you want to learn more about Azaleas and especially those that are native and are found in the wild: http://www.donaldhyatt.com/natives.html https://www.azaleas.org/deciduous-azaleas/ Growing Azaleas is easy, they are maintenance free, and they come in evergreen or deciduous varieties. They don't like wet feet, so make sure you plant them on a mound or hillside. http://www.arspvc.org/culture.html Did you know that Azaleas are pollinated by butterflies? https://www.indefenseofplants.com/.../who-pollinates-the... Most Azaleas are still in full bloom at London Town. Come and enjoy them up close before they fade.

Dogwood with Tenement and Tobacco Barn in the Background (Cornus florida ’rubra') London Town is a level II arboretum, a mature woodland garden with beautiful specimen trees, both native and exotic. One of the genus that enhances the woodland in spring is Cornus, commonly called dogwood. Both native and exotic dogwoods have exceptional ornamental value and they are an important food source for wildlife. “Dogwood’s true flowers are visited by butterflies and specialized bees, and its red fruits are a food source for songbirds and other wildlife from fall through winter.” https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/cornus-florida/ More Dogwoods (Cornus florida) Speaking of flowers, dogwoods have the most exquisite blossoms of all. Unique petal like sepals are ornate and large. Cornus florida which is native to the mid-Atlantic has white as one of the common colors, but a rare pink form also occurs naturally. The sepals last for a long time. When the flower buds open up in mid-spring, the dormant woodlands which are slowly turning chartreuse green with new leaves, get an added depth of from and color with dogwoods flowers enhancing the view. Spring gardens in the mid-Atlantic aren’t complete without dogwoods. “The native flowering dogwood, Cornus florida, is one of the most beautiful small trees in the world, with ornamental value in all seasons”. https://extension.tennessee.edu/publ.../documents/PB1670.pdf Dogwood, Cornus kousa But why is it called a dogwood? Apparently, both the Latin name Cornus and the common name 'dogwood' refers to the hard bark of the tree. "The genus name, Cornus, is Latin, from the word, cornu, which means "horn." This references the hardness of the wood. The species name, kousa, is the Japanese name for this plant." https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/cornus-kousa/ Dogwoods will do best when planted in a sunny location/part shade. They have very shallow roots, and don't like to be in a water logged condition. Drainage is crucial. Both C. kousa and C. florida have stunning blooms. C. kousa is a Chinese dogwood and C, florida is native. The pink dogwood is Cornus florida 'rubra' (rubra referring to rose pink). The flowers, bark and the ornate shape of the branches makes dogwood a pretty ornamental tree suitable for any garden, big or small. The berries are bright red and ornate and, in the fall, some varieties have pretty shades of red-orange. An all season small/medium sized shrub/tree, a must for all gardens in the Mid-Atlantic.

Top row (left to right): Hyacinths, Camellia 'Firefalls', Camellia Bottom row (left to right): Camellia 'Betty Sette,' Camellia, Fritillaris in the dell Woodland hills of spring Camellias at London Town are simply gorgeous this spring. Cold-hardy in the true sense, the delicate spring Camellias did not get affected by the fluctuation of temperature we have had this spring. Their resilience and ability to withstand the harsh winds, inspires us even more to protect and preserve them for our future generation. Our conservation goals focus on accurate scientific identification, detailed note taking and exploring our options for proper germplasm preservation. One bloom after the other, the cold-hardy collections of spring Camellias at London Town are precious, unique and a plant breeders success story, written directly in the woodland. London Town's woodland grounds are also looking vibrant with Fritillaries, Tulips, Hyacinths and many more ephemerals. Follow us in the coming weeks to learn more about the unique woodland ephemerals.

Many Magnolias at London Town! Magnolia Madness begins! Many mature Magnolias of London Town will be nearing their peak bloom in the coming weeks. The white and pink Magnolias like the M. biondii, M. stelatta 'rubra', M. kobus and M. denudata are some of the early bloomers. While the deep mauve pink and the delicate yellow Magnolias bloom by mid-April. Magnolia family still remains mystic to many botanists. After all, they are considered to be 'living fossils' and till the last century they were considered to be the most primitive flowers. "The Magnolia family is thought by many botanists to be the most primitive of the flowering plant families. It is also considered a very ancient group, with fossil records of many now extinct species dating to the Cretaceous Period, about 60 million years ago" The Magnificent Magnolias Part I: Family Tree (cornell.edu) "The fossil record establishes that magnolias have remained relatively unaltered for millions of years, and have been widespread in tropical and subtropical climates" (harvard.edu) Fossil records of Magnolias are fascinating as they give cues to flowering trees and the evolution of a 'simple' flowers. But what is more fascinating about Magnolias is their co-evolution with Beetles. Amongst other pollinators, Beetles are one of the primary pollinators for the Magnolias. The Beetles are attracted to meaty pollen of the large Magnolia flowers. (Learn more: https://www.pollinator.org/.../EBFContinentalrx13FINAL.pdf) In 2022, the horticulture department at London Town will be largely focus on restoring the habitat for one of our largest primary collections. In addition, many new Magnolias will be planted as succession plantings in our effort to support ex-situ conservation of a genus that has almost half of its species on the extinction list. "Nearly half (48%) of the Magnolia species assessed are threatened with extinction in the wild. Magnolia are principally threatened by logging activity and livestock farming also a significant factor in their global decline. Other threats include collection of wild plant material and impacts of climate change. 'Magnolias are an ancient group of trees that have survived epochs of global change. Now we stand to lose half of all species unless we take action to prevent extinction.'" (https://globaltrees.org/.../half-of-the-worlds.../....) Magnolias come in many shades, habits and even fragrance, but which one could you choose for your yard? Follow us next week to learn more about Magnolia varieties of London Town. Did you also know that Magnolias are considered to be thermogenic? Magnolia madness continues next week.

Bald Cypress "Knees" with Snake's Head Fritillaria Spring at London Town seems to be a symphony of ephemerals. Each bulb slowly coming out of dormancy, with some sending out new leaves first and others only flowers. Daffodils Snowdrops, Crocus, Daffodils and Hyacinths are some of the early ephemerals to emerge from the ground. Look above and within the bare woods you will find gorgeous blooms of Magnolias, slowly peeking out from the buds. Even better, each week more and more spring Camellias are blooming, adding depths of color to the woods of London Town. Knee of a Bald Cypress But as pretty as the blooms are, one tree that stands out and is most visible, even without any leaves is the Bald Cypress, Taxodium distichum. At London Town, you will find a superb specimen of Bald Cypress growing in the lowest area in the gardens, the dell. The bald Cypress 'knees', shallow outgrowths of the roots, till date leaves botanist inquisitive. Are they developed to aid in aeration, is it for mechanical support, is it simply a vegetative growth? There are many different hypotheses. "The genus Taxodium has been present in North America since at least the Upper Cretaceous, approximately seventy million years ago, but very little is known about when knees first developed and why" https://arboretum.harvard.edu/.../the-knees-of-the-bald.../ The 'dell' garden area at London Town stands out in winter and early spring, even when the woods are bare. The 'knees' of the Cypress against the backdrop of the south river, makes for a delightful sight, reminding us about diversity of habitats and plant interactions. "On the Atlantic Coastal Plain, bald Cypress grows best in the bottom lands of "red water" rivers, which originate in the Piedmont and mountains and during floods deposit a reddish, nutrient-rich silt into the bottom lands. Growth is poorer on the less fertile, coarser textured soils of the bottom lands of "black water" rivers. https://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/.../taxodium/distichum.htm Snake's Head Fritillaria In a few weeks, there were will another stunning ephemeral emerging from the ground, adding more depth to the bald cypress knees backdrop, the checkered Lilies, Fritillaria sps.

Scilla bifolia 'Rosea' (Alpine Squill) Botanical name origins are intriguing to say the least. After all, there must be a story behind the long Latin names or even better stories behind the common names. Let's start with one of the prettiest and smallest blooms of London Town, Scilla bifolia 'Rosea'. Rosea refers to the faint pink rose color of the new buds. S.'Rosea' is fragrant and easily naturalizes in any garden bed. https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/.../PlantFinderDe... Scilla bifolia 'Rosea' (Alpine Squill) blossoming Chinese-Willow Leaf Magnolia (Magnolia biondii) One of the first Magnolias to bloom at London Town is the Magnolia biondii, its common name is 'Chinese-Willow Leaf Magnolia'. "The Chinese name for this plant means "hope of spring" alluding to its early flowering. Still extremely rare in cultivation." https://dawesarb.arboretumexplorer.org/taxon-24310.aspx.... Camellia 'Pink Icicle' Camellia hybrids are plenty like Azaleas. What is easiest way to remember them? The cultivar names! Here is a neat article from UNL that talks about the differences and origins of Latin names: "The word cultivar means a cultivated variety; thus, a cultivar is selected and cultivated by humans. Although some cultivars can occur in nature as plant mutations, most cultivars are developed by plant breeders and are called hybrids." https://extension.unl.edu/.../Cultivar%20vs%20Variety... Camellia 'Londontown Blush' Curious about the origin of the name 'Camellia' itself? "The genus Camellia was named after a Jesuit priest and botanist named Georg Kamel.[7] The specific epithet japonica was given to the species by Carl Linnaeus in 1753 because Engelbert Kaempfer was the first to give a description of the plant while in Japan". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camellia_japonica.... 'Blush' and 'Pink Icicle' are two stellar Camellias found in the woodland gardens of London Town. 'London Town Blush' is darker pink than 'Pink Icicle' but both have a fuller Peony flower form and the blooms are sturdy lasting well over two months or more. Follow us next week to get another sneak peak of our spring blooms and learn about the many stories they tell.

Crocus in various shades In winter, even the smallest sign of spring is a burst of warmth. This week at London Town, we found spring Crocus blooming in the ornamental gardens. Crocus is a geophyte and it belongs to the Iris family (Iridaceae). Both autumn and spring Crocus are delightful, in some Crocus only the flowers come up and in others the flowers and leaves come out together. "The life cycle of Crocus species begins with the seed, germinating to a seedling, and a mature plant in 3–5 years, however seeds may remain dormant in the soil for several years. In its first year, the crocus produces only a single leaf and creates a corm covered by a thin tunic. In the northern hemisphere, the autumnal crocuses flower between September and November. The vernal (spring) crocuses flowering time depends both on climate and habitat, but is usually mid-winter to spring. Leaves may be synanthous (produced during flowering) or hysteranthous (when the flowers wither away). In the summer, with hot and dry conditions the plant becomes dormant, with all the above ground parts dying back. Colder temperatures in winter then activate the corms". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crocus Crocus come in many different varieties, here is a link to the Pacific Bulb Society that gives a good glimpse into the different varieties of Crocus. https://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/index.php/Crocus Crocus is the first to bloom, now awaiting many more spring blubs to open up!

Harmonious and sustainable landscape designs are possible when plant choices are kept simple. Pairing plants that share similar needs for nutrients, simplify garden maintenance and upkeep. Last week we looked at plants that prefer acidic soil conditions. Today, let's look at plants that prefer "basic" alkaline soil conditions as well as combinations that would look artistic together. Hemerocallis sp. (Daylilies) Lavender Grosso Lavender, Daylilies, Bearded Iris, and Sedums would make great companions as they all need full sun, good drainage, but most importantly, they all prefer slightly alkaline soils. What is soil pH? here is a neat article from University of Delaware about soil pH and amendments: https://www.udel.edu/.../delaware-gardeners-guide-to.../ Euonymus americanus Helleborus orientalis A good trio that prefers alkaline soils and that would do good in a shade garden would be: Daphniphyllum, Euyonymus, and Hellebores species. They all prefer dappled shade and would complement each other perfectly when planted together. Here is a link for information on other landscape plants and their pH needs https://extension.msstate.edu/.../publications/p2571_0.pdf Landscape designs for shaded woodland gardens or full sun gardens are most successful when they are wholesome, sustainable, as well as cohesive. For cohesive plant combinations, soil, water, nutrients- all plant needs must be matched well. A cohesive design always makes a landscape seems sinuous and complete.

Upper row from left to right: Magnolias, Native Azaleas, and Cornus sp. (Dogwoods) - great companion upper canopy plants. Lower row from left to right: Anemones, Jack in the Pulpit, and Wild Ginger. Plants when paired together based on their habitat and nutrient needs, complement each other instead of constantly competing for space and nutrients. They will thrive together to make beautiful and sustainable gardens. Adding adequate amendments also gets easier because their needs aren't mismatched. For eg., plants that require acidic soils when paired together, will make gardening seem hassle free. Organic mulches are available in many mediums such as: Cocoa bean hulls, crushed corn cobs, grass clippings, composted leaves, pine needles peat, wood chips and even straw can be used as mulch. "A mulch is any material used to reduce evaporation and water runoff, inhibit weed growth, and/or create an attractive appearance in landscapes. Mulch is left on the soil surface while a soil amendment is incorporated into the soil. There are two types of mulches, organic and inorganic. Organic mulches include woodchips, bark, straw, grass clippings, seed hulls, etc. Inorganic mulches include gravel and rock. The ideal mulch does not compact readily. It does not hinder water and air movement into the soil, it is not a fire hazard, and it breaks down slowly. In addition, the ideal mulch is weed-free, attractive, and does not blow away. A common practice is to apply mulch over landscape fabric to reduce weed growth. Correctly applied mulch does not require landscape fabric to be effective. Landscape fabric is not needed beneath other mulches and in many cases is detrimental to plant and soil health. https://extension.colostate.edu/.../mulches-for-home.../ A good mix of plants that require acidic soils naturally are: Azaleas, Magnolias, and Dogwoods, making a good upper canopy layer. Complementing ground covers for them would be: Anemones, Asarum (wild ginger) and Arisaema (Jack in the Pulpit). And a good mulch for all these plants would be Pine straw or Pine fines. Follow us next week for more information on other companion plant mixes.

Magnolia Survival of species is much higher when defense mechanisms are unique and enhanced in a plant. Most obvious defense mechanisms one can observe in plants are for eg., thorns on Rose stems, prickles on blackberry stems, poisonous milky sap in Milkweeds, etc. But defense mechanisms like allelochemicals that plants exude underground to outcompete other plants, is simply fascinating! "Certain plants produce biochemicals that can diminish the vigor of other nearby plants. These allelopathic chemicals can hinder seed germination, growth rate, photosynthetic ability, reproduction, and ultimately survival of other species that lie under and nearby them". https://extension.illinois.edu/.../2021-02-12-eliminating... Allelochemicals are chemicals specific to a plant species, some of the most commonly known allelochemicals are like those found in Black walnut (Juglone in Juglans) and in Hedera helix (Ivy). But did you know that even Magnolias, Pines, Cedars and Shrub Honeysuckle (Lonicera mackii) also have allelochemicals that help them outcompete other plants? When paired correctly, certain plants can complement each other rather than outcompeting each other. For eg., Rhododendrons, Magnolias and Pines would make a great trio. Both Magnolias and Rhododendrons like acidic soil, and Pine needles can make soils quite acidic. Now both Pine needles and Magnolias exude certain allelochemicals and can keep annual weeds seeds from germinating. Here is some good info. for companion plants: https://scholar.lib.vt.edu/.../JARS/v64n3/v64n3-kendall.html There is so much for us to still learn about understating allelochemicals and how they can be used for proactive weed control. Current research on allelochemicals and its right use in agronomy and landscape industry is fascinating and still very much evolving. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ps.1342 Follow us next week to learn more about which mulch to use where and how to best pair plants that will benefit each other instead of inhibiting growth by exuding allelochemicals.