November 2010
Volume 1, Number 2.
Neviusia alabamensis-- The Alabama Snow Wreath, a Harvard Grad?
Gentle Readers: November and rain already, with our three months of winter on the way. As we plant people like to drone on and on about, fall is the time of year to get the shrubs in the ground. Give them the opportunity to get as established as possible before next year's heat wave arrives. But how about a little time traveling in the meantime?
The Black Warrior River at Tuscaloosa in 1857 bore little resemblance to its current state. Acres of shoals were covered in spring by massive colonies of Spider Lilies (Hymenocallis), and the surrounding banks were practically devoid of development. And it was here that the Rev. R. D. Nevius and University of Alabama Professor W. S. Wyman discovered the previously unknown shrub Alabama Snow Wreath, which was subsequently named Neviusia alabamensis by Professor Asa Gray of Harvard University in 1858.
Neviusia was first cultivated by Rev. Nevius at Christ Church, Tuscaloosa, then by Dr. Gray at Harvard Botanic Gardens, and went from there to glory at Kew Gardens in England in 1883. As with many of our US native plants, it was much better appreciated by the "nation of gardeners" than it was in its own country; though one journal reported that the snow white blooms were ruined by the air pollution of London circa 1907. Not long thereafter Neviusia was being grown in Sydney, Australia, where it blooms in September--that's springtime down under.
After its extended century and a half long trip around the world, Neviusia alabamensis is finally being recognized as a superior plant in its home region. Many current gardening books about native plants extol its hardiness and virtues, and a few nurseries--including us, finally--now offer it for sale. (Some years back I provided the Neviusia plant material used at the Southern Living/Southern Progress building in Birmingham). And what could possibly be wrong with a beautiful, very early blooming, spreading native shrub that also happens to be bulletproof?
Plant this rarity now and enjoy its white blooms in March while most other shrubs are still dormant--Rev. Nevius reported that it flowered at Christ Church in Tuscaloosa as early as February 27. In bloom it superficially resembles spirea, to which it is related. For pictures and prices, go to our website http://mulberrywoodsnursery.com. And by the way, the place where Neviuisa was discovered is now gone, blasted away as the Black Warrior was turned from a free flowing river into a navigation channel fit for barges full of coal.
Production Notes
I am currently making like a squirrel and caching seeds, though I prefer to call it planting, as I have very little intention of eating any of them. Some buckeyes have already germinated and will have to be babied through the winter, even if I have found almost nothing (short of consumption by a rodent) that can kill a buckeye. Many seeds need a winter or two of dormancy to germinate, so patience is a virtue for the seed propagator. And speaking of patience, our seed sales page is indeed coming soon! We will have the usual and the unusual seeds for sale, from redbud to Clematis reticulata, for all of you fellow seeds experimenters.
Incredibly Strange but Disturbingly True Gardening Stories
England may in fact be a nation of gardeners, but the lengths they go to make compost will disturb some, and turn the stomachs of others. We old farm boys will just be reminded of the two door four holer--and that wasn't a Pontiac. It was an outhouse. Still curious? See the English National Trust at http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-global/w-news/w-news-outdoor-peeing-could-activate-a-composting-revolution.htm
Don't say I didn't warn you.
The Fine Print
All newsletters will also be posted and archived on our blog for those who wish to add a public comment. Anyone irritated, annoyed, or in any way flummoxed by this newsletter should email me, Jeff Cupp, through the website http://mulberrywoodsnursery.com and be forever removed from this mailing list.
