'Origins' attracts horticulture enthusiasts
Learning how new plants became staples in American gardens was the focus of the workshop, "From Origins to the Landscape," held in October at the JC Raulston Arboretum. About 160 people participated in the seminar, which drew some of the nation's top experts in new plant varieties.
Keynote speaker Dan Hinkley described trips to Vietnam and Turkey to search for new landscape plants. Hinkley is director of the Heronswood Nursery in Kingston, Wash. His book, The Explorer's Garden: Rare and Unusual Perennials, received the 1999 American Horticulture Society Book Award. Hinkley's nursery and catalog include plants raised from seed collected in Asia, Mexico and South America.
In 1999 and 2003, Hinkley made trips to the highlands in North Vietnam to collect plant materials. His group climbed steep mountains to heights of 7,500 feet to find plants that he believes will be well-adapted for the wet Pacific Northwest. Symposium participants "ooohed" and "ahhhhed" as Hinkley showed slide after slide of Vietnamese maples, evergreens, rhododendrons and more.
Hinkley also made a trek to Turkey in 2000 to hunt for plants in a diverse area near the Black Sea. In choosing locations to hunt for new plants, Hinkley looks for areas with rainfall, temperature and elevation similar to areas of the United States, he said.
Seeds collected abroad must meet strict U.S. Department of Agriculture regulations for introduction to the U.S. The seeds are cleaned and dried abroad, then quarantined with USDA after arrival in the U.S. Once they are released, Hinkley sows the seeds, allows them to germinate and keeps data on how they perform in the garden.
"It has been an absolute blast," Hinkley said of his adventures in horticulture hunting. Mentioning that the late J.C. Raulston, arboretum namesake, was an avid collector of new plants, many of which can be found at the arboretum, Hinkley said, "I can feel [Raulston's] pat on my back, and that always keeps me going."
Among other speakers at the Origins workshops was the College's Dr. Tom Ranney of Horticultural Science, who presented "Dreaming Plants," focusing on creating new hybrids within diverse groups of woody plants.
Participants also had the opportunity to bid on new plants during a silent and live auction.
-Natalie Hampton
Keynote speaker Dan Hinkley described trips to Vietnam and Turkey to search for new landscape plants. Hinkley is director of the Heronswood Nursery in Kingston, Wash. His book, The Explorer's Garden: Rare and Unusual Perennials, received the 1999 American Horticulture Society Book Award. Hinkley's nursery and catalog include plants raised from seed collected in Asia, Mexico and South America.
In 1999 and 2003, Hinkley made trips to the highlands in North Vietnam to collect plant materials. His group climbed steep mountains to heights of 7,500 feet to find plants that he believes will be well-adapted for the wet Pacific Northwest. Symposium participants "ooohed" and "ahhhhed" as Hinkley showed slide after slide of Vietnamese maples, evergreens, rhododendrons and more.
Hinkley also made a trek to Turkey in 2000 to hunt for plants in a diverse area near the Black Sea. In choosing locations to hunt for new plants, Hinkley looks for areas with rainfall, temperature and elevation similar to areas of the United States, he said.
Seeds collected abroad must meet strict U.S. Department of Agriculture regulations for introduction to the U.S. The seeds are cleaned and dried abroad, then quarantined with USDA after arrival in the U.S. Once they are released, Hinkley sows the seeds, allows them to germinate and keeps data on how they perform in the garden.
"It has been an absolute blast," Hinkley said of his adventures in horticulture hunting. Mentioning that the late J.C. Raulston, arboretum namesake, was an avid collector of new plants, many of which can be found at the arboretum, Hinkley said, "I can feel [Raulston's] pat on my back, and that always keeps me going."
Among other speakers at the Origins workshops was the College's Dr. Tom Ranney of Horticultural Science, who presented "Dreaming Plants," focusing on creating new hybrids within diverse groups of woody plants.
Participants also had the opportunity to bid on new plants during a silent and live auction.
-Natalie Hampton