The

Gardener
VOL. 31, NO. 1 SPRING 2008

Gary Schwetz
Delaware Center for Horticulture
Firefly Photography

The Ballroom at Longwood Gardens

filled with plants thoughtfully staged by
volunteers for the Rare Plant Auction® in 2007.

A Rare Opportunity
What's blooming
The people and plant event of the year in this issue...
Sharpen your shovels and sharpen your pencils. The 28th annual Rare Plant Auction®
Dishing the Dirt
is just around the corner. On Saturday, April 26, hundreds of plant lovers will gather at
on Moira Sheridan I page 3
Longwood Gardens to bid on unusual, newly-introduced or difficult to propagate plants.
Horticulture & Environmental
Christie’s Fine Art Auctioneers will conduct a Live Auction of exceptional specimens Leadership Program I page 4
and collections. An additional 400 prize plants and garden art will be up for bid during
a Silent Auction. Plants have been donated by more than 75 nurseries representing more City Gardens Contest I page 5
than 20 states across the country, from Washington and Oregon to many companies in
Wilmington Beautification
the Mid-Atlantic region. Commission I page 6

With the help of 136 volunteers, last year’s event raised almost $150,000. A highlight Staff Plant Pick –
of the 2008 gala will be a giant jigsaw puzzle assembled throughout the evening that Nyssa sylvatica I page 7
illustrates DCH’s community greening and education programs.
4% Solution Fund I page 8
continued on page 4
 “When I saw the garden for the first time, so green among the dark brick buildings, I
thought back to my parents’ Persian rug. It showed climbing vines, rivers and waterfalls,
Patrice Sheehan

grapes, flower beds, singing birds, everything a desert dweller might dream of.”
— author Paul Fleischman from his book, Seedfolks

No matter whether our winter is snowy and cold or bright We are pleased to announce, for the first time ever, DCH
and mild, I am always looking forward to spring. I long for raised more than $100,000 in our annual giving campaign!
lengthening days and the first green buds on the trees. All We are extremely grateful to every donor who helped us
of us here at DCH welcome the start of the growing season. reach this milestone. We also appreciate the philanthropic
leadership of Hans and Betty Krahmer, who will continue
And there is no better way to greet
GHTH
ANNU
AL
their annual gift to DCH in perpetuity through their 4%
Auction
TY-EI
TWEN ®
2008

Rare Plant spring than to treat yourself to a Solution Fund at the Delaware Community Foundation
GRAM
NG PRO
GREENI
TURE’S
HORTICUL
TER FOR
RE CEN
DELAWA
FOR THE
A BENEFIT

ticket to the 28th annual Rare (see article on back cover). Please contact me or Joe
Plant Auction®. Join the fun and Matassino, Director of Development, if you’d like to know
compete for fantastic plants at more about creative giving opportunities to continue your
Longwood Gardens. I promise, legacy into the future.
you will be delighted by this
plant lover’s extravaganza. Our As our greening programs gear up this spring, we are
Celebrated Plant Expert will be reminded what a great privilege it is to work with the
Patrick Cullina, Vice President
Asimina
triloba hundreds of volunteers who give so generously of their
of Horticulture and Facilities time and talents. In 2007, an amazing 648 volunteers
at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. donated more than 8,000 hours to our programs. Their
You’ll also be able to mingle with other renowned Plant contributions of time were worth more than $165,000
Experts and ask questions about the most desirable flora. to our mission of cultivating a greener community. We
New for 2008, all guests aged 40 years and younger can couldn’t do it without all of you!

attend at half price. Another special incentive for those
registering by March 15th is a $25 discount certificate off
winnings of $100 or more. We hope to see you there!

NEW MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS

Membership benefits at DCH are getting better all the time! If you are a current
member or are considering joining, these are new benefits you need to know about:
 DCH members now receive a 10% discount on renting our facility for their private
events and meetings. Contact Marcia Stephenson, our Special Events Coordinator
at (302) 658-6262, ext. 105 to learn more.
 Back by popular demand, our second annual Members-Only Beef ‘n’ Beer will be
held on September 17th. Register early – this event sold out last year!
 Finally, those brass and aluminum plant identification tags you see on the grounds
of Mt. Cuba Center are now available to DCH members at the Contributing Level
($75) or higher. Call Joe Matassino at (302) 658-6262, ext. 103 to learn how to get
identification tags custom-made for your plants.
Joe Matassino

Log onto dehort.org to see the complete list of DCH membership benefits.
And if you’re not already a member, please join today!

2 The Gardener Spring 2008

 Dishing the Dirt
on Moira Sheridan
Today Moira Sheridan is considered
a local gardening guru and writes
the popular weekly “Backyard
Gardener” column in Thursday
editions of The News Journal.
Her long journey down the
garden path from novice to
expert began when she
attended a lecture at the
Delaware Center for
Horticulture (DCH) in 1995.
She left that presentation happy to have found a place
that provided education for home gardeners and hungry to
learn more. Almost immediately, she volunteered to write
an article for the DCH newsletter. “At that point, all I
knew was a bit of veggie gardening,” Moira remembers. “I
didn’t know a thing about Latin botanical names. So the
first piece they asked me to write was about clethra alnifolia.
I thought they were asking me to do an article about a
disease! I was so relieved to find out it’s a flowering shrub!”
Once Moira started writing and researching topics for the
newsletter, her interest in horticulture soon blossomed into
a true passion. She volunteered for many different DCH
programs and even worked as a part-time employee. She
helped with various plant sales, judged the City Gardens
Contest and wrote guidebooks for garden tours. In recent
years she has written plant descriptions for the Rare Plant
Auction®. “It is such a fun process to work on the RPA catalog,”
she says. “Researching the background on an interesting
plant can be like a little detective story as I track down
the details of who bred it and what makes it unusual.”
In 1996 Moira took the Master Gardeners class at the
University of Delaware. It was a large, energetic class which
included people who went on to develop other gardening
programs such as Dolores Washam, founder of the Urban
Environmental Center and member of the DCH Board.
Moira also continued attending Help for the Home Gardener
lectures and trying to apply what she learned in her own garden.
“I’ve made every gardening mistake you can imagine,” she
laughs. “I read the books but I always have to learn from my
own experience. I guess it’s my stubborn Irish streak.”
As a former school teacher herself, Moira understands the
value of good teachers. She credits the DCH staff members,
and legendary volunteers who have shared their wealth of
Maura Sheridan
plant knowledge with her, for the foundation of her education.
In her journalism, she especially enjoys the opportunity to
interview horticultural professionals and plant breeders.
“People who work in this field are so down to earth and giving
of their experience,” she says. “And plant breeding is such a
labor of love. It’s been a wonderful privilege to learn about
what breeders are doing in the larger plant world.”
Moira attributes her involvement with DCH not only
for the roots but also for the quality of her horticultural
education. “The library at the Center is fantastic,” she
says. “When I first started writing about gardening, I was
constantly researching and fact-checking. Staff would
recommend titles and now my home library is gigantic!”
Eventually Moira used her portfolio of DCH writings to
land The News Journal gig. “My favorite part of the column
is interviewing home gardeners who have done interesting
things with their own situation. I like to profile doable,
attainable gardens. I’m adamant that society needs to begin
accepting a style of gardening that works more closely with
how nature functions.” She becomes more animated as she
warms to her topic. “I am constantly stumping on composting
and urging people to stop fussing over their lawns with water
and chemicals. And it’s just insane that you can’t have a
laundry line or a veggie garden in some neighborhoods!”
With her educator’s soul, Moira has a special concern for
teaching young people about nature and gardening. “Why
isn’t it part of every child’s experience in Delaware that
they experience Winterthur, Longwood and Bombay Hook?”
she asks. “We live right in the epicenter of gardening. It’s
imperative for those of us who already understand the
value of digging in the dirt that we find ways to plant the
seeds in kids so that they all grow up understanding and
caring about how nature works.”

The Gardener Spring 2008 3
Rare Opportunity continued from page 1

raphy
otog
Firefly Ph
The Rare Plant Auction® (RPA) A grove of five paperbark
offers plants that can’t be found maples, Acer griseum, has
anywhere else and often in a quantity also been donated with
that allows many happy bidders to go planting services.
home with at least one special plant Several companies
won through competitive bidding. are collaborating to
The provenance of all plants in the donate a formal garden
Auction is carefully researched and room. A boxwood hedge,
described either in the event’s several flowering trees, a
catalog or on the bid sheets. collection of perennials
and some garden
What’s new this year? furniture will combine
Notable this year are several items on to create a peaceful
a grander scale than has ever been seen alcove for one very
in the history of RPA; for instance, a lucky bidder.
beautiful 25-foot tall chestnut-leaved
oak, Quercus castaneifolia. The A new registration level is being
donation includes delivery within introduced this year to encourage Regular ticket
a 30-mile radius of Longwood and people who have never attended RPA prices begin at $200. However,
planting with a 90-inch tree spade. to experience this exciting event. a half-price “Young Collectors” ticket

HORTICULTURE & ENVIRONMENTAL LEADERSHIP PROGRAM

Every summer the Delaware Center for Horticulture hosts 13 extraordinary
teenagers who come to us for five weeks with an interest in the environment
and a desire to learn more.

Now preparing for its eighth season, the Horticulture & Environmental
Leadership Program (H.E.L.P.) challenges urban at-risk youth to think
critically about the environment, to understand their role in its protection,
to form opinions about these issues and to teach others what they have
learned. There is no cost to participate – in fact students selected for the
program receive a weekly stipend.

Each week focuses on a particular topic such as air, land, water or energy.
The curriculum includes speakers, field trips and hands-on learning
activities designed to inspire and cultivate these youth as future
environmental leaders.

If you know a middle school student entering 8th grade in September

who would benefit from this program, we hope that you’ll encourage
him or her to apply for H.E.L.P. Applications are available at DCH.
For more information please call Sarah Bruce Deacle, Assistant
Director of Programs, at (302) 658-6262, ext. 117.

Jillian Simmons

4 The Gardener Spring 2008

 is being offered for the first time for
those 40 years old and younger. All
reservations admit entrance to
hive
DCH Arc
Longwood Gardens for the day and horticultural professionals will be
include cocktails and a gourmet serving as volunteer Plant Experts to
buffet dinner. mingle with the crowd and answer
questions. Several of this year’s Plant
A veritable Experts are also recently-published
“Who’s Who” authors, including Ray Rogers, Richard
in the plant L. Bitner, Tomasz Aniśko and Charles
world Cresson. (For a complete list of Plant
The RPA attracts Experts and their credentials, go
the cooperation online to RarePlantAuction.org.)
and participation
of many well- Celebrate spring and join us at this
known people in fabulous event. Register today!
the horticultural
world. This For more information or to
year our request an invitation, contact
Celebrated Joe Matassino, Director
Plant Expert of Development, at
will be Patrick (302) 658-6262, ext. 103 or

Cullina, Vice President jmatassino@dehort.org. To

of Horticulture and Facilities at the register for the event online,
Brooklyn Botanic Garden in New go to RarePlantAuction.org.

Larger trees and shrubs on display in the
East Conservatory. York. More than a dozen other

h City Gardens Contest h
ENTRY FORMS DUE JUNE 20TH
Now in its 26th year, the City Gardens Contest is an
established Wilmington tradition. We are always amazed at
what our city’s residents can do, sometimes in the smallest
of spaces, to beautify their backyards, front stoops or
city blocks. If you’d like to enter your garden, there are
seventeen different categories to consider, so you’re sure to
find one or two that’s a good fit. More than 140 gardeners
and volunteer judges participated in last year’s event.
Entry forms are due by June 20th. Gardens will be judged
in one round only on July 19th. Winners will be recognized
on September 13th during an awards ceremony at DCH.
The City Gardens Contest experience is invaluable to
anyone who enjoys gardening and a little friendly
Eric Zippe
competition. Special thanks go out to our sponsors:
Dupont, Happy Harry’s and FuturTech Consulting. To see
photos of winning gardens from previous years or to print
out a copy of the entry form, log on to dehort.org.
2nd Annual Wilmington City Gardens Tour
Enjoy a stroll through some of the best private gardens
in Wilmington when we host our second annual City
Gardens Tour of previously winning gardens on June 21st.
A map, directions and garden descriptions are included in
the ticket price. To register for this self-guided tour or to
sign up as a volunteer, contact Marcia Stephenson, Special
Events Coordinator at (302) 658-6262, ext. 105 or email
her at mstephenson@dehort.org.

The Gardener Spring 2008 5

Park Improvements of the Wilmington
Beautification Commission – Phase I
The members of the Wilmington
Beautification Commission (WBC) are
appointed by Mayor Baker and include
representatives from city departments,
local organizations and residents. Pam
Sapko, the Executive Director of DCH,
serves as the Chair of the Commmission
and Jen Bruhler, DCH’s Parks & Forestry
Outreach Manager, provides staff support.

Since 2004, the Commission has mobilized

more than 1,300 volunteers to plant
72,000 flowering bulbs and 180 trees and
shrubs in public parks throughout the city.
They also launched the “Think Green
for a Change” campaign that promotes
environmentally friendly practices and the

Blue Blaze Marketing + Design

“Trees for Wilmington” project to improve
the quality of the urban forest.

Over the next two years, the Commission

will expand on the success of the park
improvements in Phase I with an additional
six to seven parks slated for beautification 3 Kirkwood Park 6 Kosciuszko Park
in Phase II. A WBC website will launch Eastside community Hedgeville community
before the end of 2008 to highlight park 11th & Spruce Streets 600 block South Broom Street
projects throughout the city and serve as HIGHLIGHTS HIGHLIGHTS
a resource for community involvement. • Planted 20,000 bulbs and 5 flowering • Planted 25,000 bulbs
trees • Created three entrance beds with shrubs
• Restored perennial garden and perennials
1 Haynes Park
• Created Kirkwood Park entrance garden • Planted more than 45 trees
Harlan Park community • Launched new Friends of Kirkwood • Launched new Friends of Kosciuszko
Miller Road between 30th & 32nd Streets Park group Park group
HIGHLIGHTS
• Planted 7,000 daffodils 4 Peter Spencer Plaza 7 Tilton Park
• Slated for additional beautification Downtown Wilmington Cool Spring/Tilton community
improvements in 2008 800 North French Street 7th & Franklin Streets
HIGHLIGHTS HIGHLIGHTS
2 Brown-Burton-Winchester Park
• Installed large, colorful container plantings • Planted trees and entrance plantings
Northeast community – a series of parks • Plans to replant annually • Installed new streetlamps
that includes Joe White Field, Prices Run
• Launched new Friends of Tilton Park group
Park, Speakman Place, and Speakman Park 5 Helen Chambers Park
(between Vandever Avenue & 30th Street, West Center City community 8 Bancroft Parkway
and Northeast Boulevard & Market Street) 6th & Madison Streets North Bancroft Parkway (from Kentmere
HIGHLIGHTS HIGHLIGHTS Parkway) to South Bancroft Parkway
• Planted 20,000 bulbs • Slated for major renovations and beauti- (to Barry Street)
• Created three entrance plantings with fication in 2008, including new fields, HIGHLIGHTS
a combination of flowering shrubs, playground equipment, tree plantings • This tree-lined parkway provides a river of
perennials and bulbs and landscaping green through several neighborhoods.
• Planted more than 60 flowering trees and
• Trees along the entire parkway have been
14 bare root trees
assessed; diseased trees have been removed
• Launched new Friends of BBW Park group
and replanted
6 The Gardener Spring 2008
Staff Plant Pick: Nyssa sylvatica
Patrice Sheehan, DCH Tree Program Manager

“One generation plants the trees;

another gets the shade.”
— Chinese proverb
During my job interview two years ago, I was asked what receive enough moisture

DCH Archive
my favorite tree is. This is a tough question for me – like and are not tolerant
trying to decide which of my children is my favorite! At the of salts. However, this
time I said Willow Oak, Quercus phellos, but I have since beautiful native tree is Patrice Sheehan, DCH Tree Program
been won over by the beauty and adaptability of Nyssa virtually pest free and Manager, and Dylan, her new grandson,
sylvatica, commonly called blackgum or tupelo. not messy, making it a born in January 2008.
great specimen tree with
Blackgum is native to the eastern United States and can year-round interest.
be found in low-lying woodlands from Maine to Florida.
Its Latin botanical name means “nymph of the forest.” It’s a surprise to me, considering its range, that blackgum
Nyssa sylvatica is valued for its ornamental beauty as has not yet been chosen as a state tree. Perhaps we could
well as its importance to wildlife. Mature specimens have nominate it as the Delaware State Deciduous Tree! Nyssa
a graceful silhouette, with great twisting, horizontal arms sylvatica has, however, just been named as the 2008
ending in a delicately draping twig structure. Tree of the Year by the Society of Municipal Arborists.
This wonderful native has been
Small clusters of insignificant recognized as tough enough to
greenish-yellow blossoms survive in urban environments
appear in the spring as dark and a worthy alternative to our
green glossy leaves emerge. over-planted maples.
Songbirds and small mammals
enjoy the small bluish-black More people are recognizing that
drupes that ripen in late summer. planting trees is something that
By early fall, the brilliant leaf they can personally do to make a
color ranges from yellow to difference with global warming.
orange to scarlet, often on the For a small investment of time and
same tree. money, a tree provides increasing
benefits to our environment for
Blackgum is a slow to medium generations to come. Large trees
grower, and when young it is give the most benefits, and native
somewhat pyramidal, reaching species require minimal care after
10-15’ over the first 15 years. establishment.
Its mature height is 30-50’,
with a spread of 20-30’ into So plant trees for the environment,
an irregular rounded canopy. but plant them also for their beauty,
They are good for planting in because as a fourth grader explained
yards, in parks and along to me on Arbor Day, one of the
streets, but they must have things a tree needs to grow big and
adequate rooting space to strong is love.

The Gardener Spring 2008 7

4% Solution Fund
The perennial philanthropy and visionary
leadership of Betty and Hans Krahmer
What can you do to support your favorite organizations
long after you’re gone? Many people leave a bequest in
their will that bestows a one-time gift. Betty and Hans
Krahmer decided that they would rather create a fund that
would make annual donations on their behalf in perpetuity.
The Krahmers have been faithful contributors to the
Delaware Center for Horticulture and the Delaware Art
Museum for decades. They are interested in ensuring the
fiscal health and sustainability of both institutions into the
future. After much research, they established a trust fund
called The 4% Solution at the Delaware Community
Foundation (DCF). The principle is managed by DCF, and
once a year a contribution representing a 4% distribution
of the trust assets will be sent to each organization.
Betty’s history with the Delaware Center for Horticulture
goes back to the early days, when she served as Treasurer of
the then-named Wilmington Garden Center and delivered
her concise and meticulous reports in our cramped offices
on Market Street. When the decision was made to find
Delaware Center for Horticulture
1810 N. Dupont Street, Wilmington, DE
302-658-6262 • dehort.org
The Delaware Center for Horticulture
cultivates a greener community; inspiring
appreciation and improvement of our
environment through horticulture,
education and conservation.
Printed on recycled paper — 10% post-consumer waste
and certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.
1810 N. Dupont Street
Wilmington, DE 19806
30
Anniversary
dehort.org
Joe Matassino
Betty and Hans Krahmer, long-time volunteers and contributors, have
set up a fund that will support DCH in perpetuity.
more spacious headquarters, Betty also served as Treasurer
for the capital campaign that resulted in our beautiful
current headquarters in Trolley Square.
Like Betty’s beloved daffodils, their 4% Solution Fund will
ensure that the Krahmer’s financial support for DCH will
bloom unfailingly year after year. Betty and Hans also hope
others will follow their example as philanthropic leaders.
For more information about how you can set up a 4%
Solution Fund at the DCF, contact Jane Vincent, Senior
Vice President for Development at (302) 504-5237 or
jvincent@delcf.org. Visit their website at www.delcf.org.

Staff: Pam Sapko, Executive Director • Annie Acton, Tree Program Administrative
Assistant • Jen Bruhler, Parks and Forestry Outreach Manager • Chris Canning,
Landscapes Project Manager • Sarah Bruce Deacle, Assistant Director of Programs •
Anita Jimerson, Office Manager • Joe Matassino, Director of Development •
Ann Mattingly, Community Gardens Manager • Andrew Olson, Landscape
Maintenance Supervisor • Michael Ray, Information Technology Manager • Nick
Lodsun, Tree Program VISTA • Gary Schwetz, Director of Programs • Wendy
Scott, Communications Manager • Patrice Sheehan, Tree Program Manager •
Marcia Stephenson, Special Events Coordinator • Lenny Wilson, Horticulture
and Facilities Manager Contributors to this issue: Lehman Design Inc, Layout.
All photos courtesy of DCH unless otherwise indicated.
NONPROFIT ORG.
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
WILMINGTON, DE
PERMIT No. 371