by Meg Lynch, Editor

I recently visited the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis. It wasn’t my first time there, but every visit seems to uncover new delights. On this trip I was excited to find a lovely collection of my very favorite tree, the ginkgo, or maidenhair tree (Ginkgo biloba). They line both sides of a paved walkway that runs alongside the Cherbonnier English Woodland Garden (which you can explore thoroughly by taking its winding dirt paths). We have plenty of ginkgo trees here in Boston, planted here and there in the Common and on side streets. I had never seen a group of them together, though. They made such a beautiful soft arch over the walk.

Why is the ginkgo my favorite tree? I like the unique shape of its leaves, and its funny structure—to me, its straight, every-which-way branches make it look like its made of pipe cleaners. Its history makes it all the more endearing. Ginkgo biloba is the one remaining species in the Ginkgoaceae, a plant family that flourished alongside the dinosaurs—150 million years ago!

Soon the Boston ginkgoes’ leaves will turn gold. I’ll post a picture when they peak.

Read more about ginkgoes at The PlantFinder, a database managed by the Missouri Botanical Garden’s Kemper Center for Home Gardening.

Read Sara's blog.

10/23/2007 4:28:42 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [0] 

by Meg Lynch, Editor

Our current issue includes a feature article about monkshoods (Aconitum), which inspired Suzanne Veverka, of White Cloud, Michigan, to send this photo and note:

"Here's a photo of my Aconitum fischeri, planted last year. It came from a local garden center. The label said 2 to 3 feet tall, so I planted it at the front of the border, where it bloomed at that height last year.

"This year it began zooming upward in midsummer, so I staked it. I stand 5 feet, 6 inches tall, so you can see by comparison that these plants are over 7 feet tall, all 3 of them. They are planted on the north side of our house, so they get direct sun for only a few days  of the year (the house is quite tall). This area used to be our driveway before remodeling the house, so the soil is a base of sand covered with imported topsoil (1 or 2 feet deep) of mostly clay.  There is a bark mulch covering the soil. They had no fertilizer, and minimal and infrequent watering even through this hot and dry summer.  (Watering was accomplished by soaker hoses laid  under the mulch.)

"When I planted, I expected the cimicifuga (blooming to right in photo) to be the focal point. It can barely be seen behind the voluptuous monkshoods--but had we placed them at the back of the border, we couldn't have opened our windows! I am delighted at their prosperity and am hoping for another frost-free month (we are Zone 4/5) so that many more of those buds will open!"--Suzanne Veverka, White Cloud, Michigan

Suzanne is wondering if anyone has had similar experiences with Aconitum fischeri--or if her plants may in fact be a different species. Just click "Comments" to leave a note!

10/5/2007 5:02:15 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)    Comments [1]