HORTICULTURE COMMITTEE

This committee brings responsible matters of horticultural interest to the club, is available for questioning on subjects of gardening and seeks shares information on plants of interest to Members in an effort to promote knowledge and love of gardening and the use of valuable plants.  The committee promotes member participation in Club, GCA and NGC flower shows, provides guidance and encouragement to Members exhibiting in flower shows and assists the Flower Show Committee in the planning of all Club-sponsored flower shows.

2024 FALL ISSUE OF GCA’S THE REAL DIRT

The 2024 Fall Issue of The Real Dirt is live! The Real Dirt includes lots of GCA news you can use, and information from hort professionals who weigh in on all things native.  For easy viewing in ISSUU, use the +/- feature on the lower right to zoom in and out or download as a pdf.

THE 2025 PHS GOLD MEDAL PLANTS

The 2025 PHS Gold Medal Plant are all native trees, shrubs, and perennials. They have been selected for their ornamental attributes; their ability to thrive in the Mid-Atlantic region; availability at local garden centers and nurseries; and for having numerous ecological functions.

Acer rubrum Redpointe® is a selection of the red maple. It has exceptional red fall color when grown in full sun. It will reach 45 feet tall at maturity and is hardy in zones 4-8. Like other red maples, it is one of the few maples that can tolerate wet conditions and poorly drained sites.

Amelanchier x grandiflora ‘Autumn Brilliance’, Apple serviceberry, is an exceptional deciduous shrub or small tree that has an upright spreading habit and a round canopy. It is noted for its brilliant fall colors of red and orange. In early to mid-spring, the tree is adorned with clusters of star-shaped white flowers. Following the flowers, it produces an abundance of edible berries that attract songbirds. It will grow to be 15-25 feet tall.

Carex cherokeensis, Cherokee sedge, is an evergreen groundcover with clumping grass-like leaves that is a great alternative to more traditional groundcovers like Pachysandra terminalis and Liriope spicata. It is 12–24 inches tall and wide at maturity. It is hardy in zones 6-8.

Leucothoe axillaris ‘ReJoyce’, coast leucothoe, is a native evergreen shrub. In the spring, new leaves emerge red. White, urn-shaped flowers form in short clusters on gently arching branches. In the fall, foliage turns deep bronze-purple. It can grow to be 2-4 feet tall. It is hardy in zones 5-7.

Monarda ‘Gardenview Scarlet’ is a selection of beebalm that grows to three feet tall with an abundance of flowers in mid-summer. It is great for attracting hummingbirds, butterflies, and other beneficial pollinators. It is truly deer resistant.

Solidago rugosa 'Fireworks', the rough goldenrod, is one of the best goldenrods for home gardens. It has a relatively compact habit and attracts scores of pollinators when in bloom in late summer and fall. The yellow flowers are small and fragrant, resembling fireworks. It can grow to be 3–4 feet tall and can spread to be three feet wide in 3–4 years. It is hardy in zones 4-8.

These 2025 Gold Medal Plants offer diverse benefits and beauty to gardens throughout the Mid-Atlantic region. Consider incorporating these hardy and attractive selections into your landscape to enhance its ecological and aesthetic value. Learn more by exploring the PHS Gold Medal Plant Database.

BOX TREE MOTH FOUND AT PRIVATE RESIDENCE IN KENT COUNTY, DE

The box tree moth is a federally regulated pest that primarily feeds on boxwood species (Buxus spp.). If left unchecked, it causes significant damage and can potentially kill the plants. 

 “Box tree moth is an unexpected find in Delaware due to the distance from the only known U.S. detections in New York, Michigan, Ohio, and Massachusetts, with the original introduction in New York in 2021. The DE Dept of Agriculture, the USDA and University of Delaware Extension are working together to map out the infestations. At this time, only one property in Kent County has a confirmed population and control measures have been implemented,” said Jessica Munski, Delaware Department of Agriculture’s Plant Industries Administrator. “This invasive pest is a good flyer, spreading naturally three to six miles a year, but it is suspected that they can fly up to 20 miles. The aggressive, destructive nature of the caterpillar life stage makes it essential to take quick action as soon as damage is detected because defoliation can occur within ten days.”

 The caterpillars, which can grow to 1.5 inches, will start out as lime-green, with black stripes, white spots, hair, and a shiny black head. They then create a large amount of webbing on the plant. The caterpillars are ravenous feeders and, in heavy infestations, can completely defoliate host plants. After the leaves are gone, they feed on the bark, eventually killing the plant.

 The adult box tree moth generally has white wings with a thick brown border. It can be hard to find as it is most active at night. The BTM can sometimes be confused with the melonworm moth.

 What You Can Do

Help prevent this invasive pest from spreading throughout the state’s landscape, by monitoring, reporting, and controlling infestations.

• If you have boxwoods in your landscape, monitor your shrubs for brown or skeletonized leaves, defoliation, and webbing with caterpillars.

• Contact Delaware Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners at the Garden Helpline to report a suspected find and learn what pest management tools are available:

• New Castle County: 302-831-8862

• Kent County: 302-730-4000

• Sussex County: 302-831-3389

• Allow Delaware or Federal agricultural officials to inspect your boxwood plants and place detection traps.

• Remove infested boxwood plant branches. For heavy infestations, cut the boxwood from its base. Your plant should grow back from its roots. All boxwood debris should be double-bagged in plastic and placed in the trash. Homeowners should follow the Delaware Cooperative Extension’s pesticide recommendations.

SEEDS, SEEDS and MORE SEEDS

Seed Share is an initiative of the GCA Horticulture Committee. Sharing seeds is easy and fun! Search the database using the filter tools to find seeds you might want to propagate or offer seeds from your garden by posting a listing to share seeds. The more seeds you post to the Seed Share Database, the better!!

CLICK HERE for resources on seed collection and storage.

If you would like a supply of seed envelopes email the Horticulture Committee.

Check the assortment of articles, links to books and guides for collect and starting seeds.

Seeing Seeds: A Journey into the World of Seedheads, Pods, and Fruit – Excerpts from Seeing Seeds by Teri Dunn Chance and Robert Llewellyn. Portland OR: Timber Press, 2015. Highly photographic, this book reveals that there is much more to a seed than the plant it will someday become. Seeing Seeds will take you to strange and wonderful places. When you return, it's safe to say that you'll never look at a seed the same way again.

Saving Seeds - Bill Cullina

Propagation Tips - Seed Starting - This handbook serves as a valuable introduction to seed propagation techniques and how-to's

Propagating Plants from Seed - A slide presentation to help you improve your success growing with seeds. Starting plants from seed is one of the most economical and satisfying of all types of propagation.  Because propagation by seed is sexual propagation, this method ensures genetic diversity in the plant material - unlike asexual propagation which creates clones of the parent plant.  Genetic diversity in plants is important since it allows for a species to genetically adapt to changing environmental conditions. 

For a Large Collection of Perennial Seeds - Go to Jelitto Seed Company. This company has a large selection, including pre-treated seeds, and they provide detailed propagation requirements for each species. In addition to Jelitto.com, another good source for perennial  (and other) plants is the Hardy Plant Society. Click Here for a link to their seed list which includes a link to become a member of the society and order seeds.  You will see a list of donors, some of whom are local gardening friends.

Link to the RHS: Another good source of information. They recommend sowing directly in the garden.  If this isn't possible, just sow the seeds in a flat of or individual pots of seed starting compost (from the hardware store or garden center), cover them with protective screening and place them in a shady spot. They will germinate in the spring and you can pot them up and grow them on to plant in a final location when ready."

NEWS AND INTERESTING RESOURCES FOR GARDENERS

LIST OF INVASIVE PLANTS:

Click here for a list of Invasive Plants in Delaware.

Click here for a list of Invasive Plants in Pennsylvania.

 Click here for a list of Invasive Plants of the Eastern United States.

THE PLUG: NORTH CREEK NURSERIES publishes a weekly blog about gardening, design, native plants, and garden ecology. You can subscribe to the blog by clicking this subscription link. 

PENNSYLVANIA HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY GOLD MEDAL PLANTS : To learn more about this year’s Gold Medal Plants, or to view previous year’s winners in PHS’s online database, please visit: https://phsonline.org/for-gardeners/gold-medal-plants.https://phsonline.org/for-gardeners/gold-medal-plants. 

ORGANIC FERTILIZER: Used at Mt.Cuba, Organic Approach 9-0-4 is 100% organic slow-release fertilizer that will feed the soil biology and sustain plant health. It is suitable for use on lawns, in landscape beds, in potting mixes, and anywhere else a granular slow-release fertilizer is desired. All Organic Approach fertilizers are manure-free and have no offensive odors. Although designed for professional use, these materials are completely safe and easy to apply for homeowners who want to treat their own properties.

If you are looking for A LOW-GROWING FESCUE MIX, please visit Deer Creek Seed Company,  Low low-growing fescue mix.

 PERFECT EARTH PROJECT: In 2013, Edwina von Gal founded the Perfect Earth Project, which is dedicated to promoting toxic-free, nature-based land care practices. Browse the Perfect Earth Project website, subscribe to its newsletter, or click on PRFCT Perspectives to search for information on specific topics, including lots of information about healthy, beautiful, and well-disciplined lawns.

INTERESTING ARTICLES, HELPFUL INFORMATION AND TIPS

Terrarium Containers and Where to Find Them - American Begonia Society Judging School

Sanitizing Products for Cleaning Tools, Pots and Potting Surfaces - U of DE, College of Agriculture Fact Sheet

Tips for Growing Fruit Trees in your Backyard - U of DE, College of Agriculture Fact Sheet

Click here for Information and Tips on Controlling Spotted Lanternfly

FOR LIST OF ZONE V NATIVE PLANT NURSERIES:

RECENT HORTICULTURE WORKSHOP AND PROGRAM HANDOUTS

Selecting Shrubs for Four Seasons of Interest, Eva Mondheim, November 2024 - LECTURE HANDOUT

Winter Flowers- Inspiration for your Garden, Charles Cresson, February 2024 - LECTURE HANDOUT

Caring for Orchids, Arthur Chadwick, Chadwick & Sons Orchids, November 2023, LECTURE HANDOUT

Saving the Coniston Woodlands- January 2021, Dick Lighty - LECTURE HANDOUTS

Propagating Camellia by Seed - GCW Workshop Handout, December 15, 2021

BLOOMING BUCKS with BRENT AND BECKY’S BULBS

GCW is part of the Blooming Bucks program and 25% of your purchases will be given back to our club. Please visit www.bloominbucks.com, and select The Garden Club of Wilmington to place your order. Or your can order by phone and tell them you would like to support GCW. Or you can write us in at the bottom of your order form in their catalogue.

part of  THE GARDEN CLUB of AMERICA  since 1920