Research Consortium Plants 2007

2007 Research Consortium Order Form

       Welcome to the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum’s Research Consortium! This unique plant evaluation program targets plants with landscape potential for testing across the state. Most plant evaluation programs test plants in cooperating nursery test gardens. The research consortium is unique because plants are tested and evaluated by the gardening public throughout the state. This is important because of the variable soils and climate between Falls City in the southeast and Harrison in the northwest. Our goal is to identify and test new plants or plants with little history in Nebraska for adaptability throughout the state. We work to promote the plant selections that receive high marks to the nursery industry, garden clubs and the general public. Everything is grown here-mostly from seed. We like seeds. They contain the full expression of the plant and its evolutionary history. Growing and distributing plants is a part of that history. It’s fun, exciting and rewarding to take part in that.
       Research Consortium plants are available only to NSA members. To become a member, join online or e-mail Bob Henrickson with your name, address and phone number or include that information with your plant order.
Plants ranging in cost from $4-6 can be picked up this spring in Lincoln or shipped. The 2007 offerings include 7 woody plants, 13 perennials and 1 grass:

TREES AND SHRUBS ($6 for 5” pot)
070017 Cornus florida, flowering dogwood, pink
       This aristocrat of flowering trees has long been considered too tender for Nebraska’s winter temperature extremes. Seed from this accession was collected from a mature tree in Peru, NE and although there will probably be variation in flower color, this tree has been dependable for years. Grows to 20’. Zone 5.

070018 Cornus florida, flowering dogwood, white
       The seed for this accession was collected from a beautiful, 25’ mature specimen in Peru, NE. There are many selections of dogwood, to select the best is like rolling the dice! This tree has stood the test of time and I’m confident the seedlings will exhibit similar hardiness and performance. Best planted in part shade and rich, organic soils. Grows to 25’. Zone 5.

070020 Koelreuteria paniculata, goldenrain tree
       This durable small tree is one of the very few yellow-flowering trees and it blooms during the heat of the summer. Loose panicles of flowers develop into papery pods that turn brown and persist on the tree into fall. Shows tremendous adaptability and withstands heat, drought, wind and alkaline soils. Seed for this selection came from trees in a median along a busy four-lane, salt-treated road in Lincoln. Even on this tough site, these trees performed well for more than 25 years! Grows to 35’ h. Hardy to zone 5, possibly 4.

070021 Picea crassifolia, thickleaf spruce (no image available)
       This Asian spruce has stout needles that spread nearly radially around the stem. An uncommon conifer with a columnar-pyramidal habit reportedly with light yellow new shoots or branchlets. This is a new one for us and I’m not aware of any planted in Nebraska so we don’t know anything about its performance. Trees may reach 75’ in the wild but more likely 40’ high here on the Plains. Hardy to zone 5.

070022 Prunus x dunbari (maritima xamericana), Dunbar’s plum (no image available)
       This uncommon plum from Oikos Tree Crops in Kalamazoo, MI was found in the wild but is most likely of garden origin. It has profuse white flowers in spring and bright red fruits about 1” in diameter. Can be pruned into a compact tree to 6’ with equal spread. It is similar to beach plum, Prunus maritima, but with larger fruit that is highly recommended for jams; the skin is not astringent and pits are easily removed. Easy to grow in full sun and good garden soil. -30°F hardiness.

070023 Prunus tenella, dwarf Russian almond (no image available)
       A low, suckering shrub 5’ high and wide with showy, white to rosy-red flowers in spring. The 1” egg-shaped fruits are edible but somewhat mealy and the oil from the seed has been used as an almond flavoring. A very adaptable plant that prefers full sun and deep, well-drained soils. Seldom cultivated, our source is from a North Dakota nursery. Hardy to zone 2.

070024 Ulmus americana, American elm
       This American classic has been devastated by Dutch elm disease over the last several decades. Many trees have died but there are a number of big, old trees that are still alive, obviously resistant to the disease. This accession comes from a tree near Weston, NE planted about 80 years ago with many other elms. All of the other trees died over the years but this one. Here’s your chance to get a proven seed source elm, not a hybrid, and not grafted to Siberian elm rootstock. I’m leaving out cultural information; say no more, it’s an elm.

HERBACEOUS PERENNIALS ($4 for 4” pot)
070003 Aster sedifolius ‘Nanus’, Nanus Rhone aster (no image available)
       This European native deserves more attention with its dense flowering and rounded, cushion-like habit. A durable, care-free aster with masses of sky blue flowers from September into October that literally cover the plant. The tiny leaves are shiny and it forms an attractive mound of foliage even when not in bloom. Grows to 15” and is long lived when grown in full sun and well-drained, moderately dry soils. Zone 4.

070004 Cacalia atriplicifolia, pale Indian plantain (no image available)
       This unusual native forms a large rosette of deep blue-green leaves that look great all season, especially among fine-textured grasses. In early summer a pale, statuesque flowering stalk, topped with small white flowers, rises out of the foliage up to 5’ high or more. It grows best in medium to moist soils, in full sun or light shade and combines well with Culver’s root, Joe-Pye, New England asters, Indiangrass, switchgrass and big bluestem. This rare perennial might just become the most remarked-upon plant in your garden. Hardy to Zone 4.
“Superb foliage is this statuesque plant’s claim to fame. The soft, rich and tactile nature of the leaves is particularly notable. The deep blue green leaves look great all season long, right up to frost. The flowering stalk serves as a towering sentinel in the prairie garden, and seldom flops.” Niel Diboll, Prairie Nursery

070005 Clematis hexapetala, six-petal clematis
       This very rare, bush-type clematis was collected by Harlan Hamernik on a trip to China and Mongolia. It has rich, dark green linear leaves and is tipped with clusters of fragrant, 1-1 ½” white flowers in June. Feathery, bright silver seedheads put on a spectacular show in July and August. Takes several years to establish from a sprawling plant into a 3’ high upright-rounded shrub. Plant in full sun and well-drained, moderately dry soils. GreatPlants designee. Hardy to zone 4.

070006 Clematis intricata (no image available)
       This species was also collected in northern China, mainly growing in rocky sites, so it’s a plant that can tackle adversity and come up blooming! Although a climber, it’s equally good at creeping or scrambling over small features of the landscape that happen to lie in its way (it can be quite vigorous). Each year the new growth produces a wealth of slightly blue-green foliage, most of the leaves divided into 5-7 leaflets. Depending on its environment the plant will top out at anywhere from 3' to 10'. Its flowers may be borne singly or in sets of two or three, looking like small bells. Zone 4.

70007 Echinacea purpurea ‘Prairie Giant’, Prairie Giant purple coneflower
       This new selection of purple coneflower was introduced by Hamernik from a group of “happy and long flowering plants in our zone 4 garden for 10+ years.” It reportedly has beautiful rich dark green basal leaves up to 2’ long and 4 ½” wide. The huge flowers have narrow pink petals and span 6-9” across on 3’ stalks. GreatPlants designee. We want to learn how it performs throughout the state and in your garden.

070008 Eupatorium altissimum ‘Prairie Jewel’, Prairie Jewel eupatorium
       This native prairie plant was selected by Ed Rasmussen of The Fragrant Path in Fort Calhoun, NE. It is an attractive, cream-speckled and mottled foliage variation that grows into a 3’ mound by late summer. In fall, clusters of small white flower buds cover the plant and slowly open, extending the flowering season for weeks. A durable plant that’s easy to grow in well-drained, moderately dry soils in full sun. GreatPlants designee. Hardy to zone 4.

070009 Hypericum orientale, Oriental St. Johnswort
       This little gem has been in our garden for three years and each year I look forward to its star-shaped, bright yellow flowers. Acquired from the New England Rock Garden Society seed exchange, it forms a tight and compact shrublet up to 8” high with small, sticky leaves. Best planted in dry, well-drained soils and full sun. It makes a nice filler plant or groundcover between taller, leggy plants. Zone 6 or less.

070010 Monarda ‘Prairie Gypsy’, Prairie Gypsy beebalm
       This new beebalm, selected by Hamernik, has bright raspberry-pink floral tubes with fine hairy stamens and colorful lines of narrow spots. Flower clusters form at the branch tips up to 24” high in late spring. A hybrid with Monarda bradburiana, a species noted for its clean, mildew-resistant foliage, shade tolerance, compact stature and earlier bloom time than other species. GreatPlants designee. Zone 4.

070011 Penstemon digitalis, foxglove beardtongue
      This is the most moisture-tolerant of the penstemons, making it one of the easiest to grow in clay soils and irrigated perennial borders (hence the popularity of Penstemon digitalis ‘Husker Red’ ). Our plants come from seed collected in the loess bluffs at Waubonsie State Park in western Iowa, where the plant reaches its western range limits. The species is noted for its pure white flowers and rich, glossy foliage. Grows to 3’ high. Zone 4.“The foxglove beardtongue offers a profusion of tubular white flowers on strong stems in May and June, adding softness to the intense colors of the perennial garden. This handsome plant has attractive seed heads and shiny foliage that turns reddish in fall.” Easy Living Perennials

070012 Potentilla arguta, prairie cinquefoil (no image available)
       This slender, self-contained, upright native is easily mistaken for the similar-looking yellow cinquefoil, an escapee from Europe. The true native grows to 3’ high, topped with white or creamy flowers from early summer to August. Pinnate, compound leaves are covered with white hairs and the entire plant appears light or whitish green. An ordinary-looking plant that’s easy to grow in full sun and mesic to dry conditions. Best combined with grasses to complement its slender build. Zone 4.

070013 Rudbeckia maxima, cabbage-leaf or great coneflower (no image available)
       A coarse-textured perennial with unusual blue-gray, paddle-shaped basal leaves that are 1-2’ long and 8-10” across. Native from Texas to Alabama, this beauty sends up a sturdy 6’ stalk, topped with drooping yellow petals and a large, dark central conical disk jutting out farther than most black-eyed susans. Easy to grow in well-drained soil and full sun; drought-tolerant and reportedly deer-proof too. Hardy to zone 4.
“Its hard to believe the cabbage-leaf coneflower could have been ove-looked for so long with its 1-2’ powder blue leaves and 6-7’ spikes of large golden coneflowers in late summer. A bright accent.” Forest Farm

070014 Rudbeckia speciosa var. sullivantii, showy black-eyed susan
       This black-eyed susan variation is closely related to the popular cultivar ‘Goldsturm’. It’s just as easy to grow but may tolerate drought better and is reportedly taller, longer blooming, more persistent and with longer lasting flowers. Seed comes from Prairie Moon Nursery. Grows to 3’. Hardy to zone 3.

070015 Solidago sciaphila, cliff goldenrod (no image available)
       A rare goldenrod native to rocky outcroppings in the Great Lakes region. It is erect and mostly unbranched, growing to 40” high and blooming in August and September. I wish I could report on its ornamental qualities but my landscape plants just went in last summer. Our Consortium exists to learn about plants like this!

GRASS ($4 for 4” pot)
070016 Sporobolus wrightii, giant sacaton
       This southwestern U.S. native is a warm season bunchgrass growing 5-6’ tall and 3-4’ wide. It's spectacular when the stiff, towering seed stalks develop and rise through the arching, upright leaves. The leaf blades are blue-green, ¼” wide, formed on 3’ clumps. It's a vigouous grower and at home in a variety of soil types as long as it's well-drained. This grass is xeric but appreciates deep bimonthly watering in summer when rain is scarce. In early spring, cut back hard to 1’. Zones 5-9.

Welcome to Research Consortium 2007
We hope you'll find some new and exciting Research Consortium plants to add to your garden this year! The plants we are offering are rare, hard-to-find plants, some of them available only from a few mail order nurseries.
       Unlike most plant evaluation programs, our Research Consortium plants are tested and evaluated by the gardening public rather than by cooperating nurseries, botanical gardens or university trials. Our goal is to identify and test new plants or plants with little history in Nebraska for adaptability throughout the state. We work to promote the plant selections that receive high marks to the nursery industry, garden clubs and the general public.
       It's important to know seed source, particularly for trees. Most of the woody selections were collected locally so we know where the parent plants came from, even if they're not from a native stand. The herbaceous perennials include a number of Great Plains natives, several of them collected by Harlan Hamernik, co-founder of Bluebird Nursery, Inc. They have performed well in their trial gardens in Clarkson, Nebraska; now we want to know how they perform in other areas. A number of these plants are earmarked as GreatPlants® releases. If you would like to evaluate and report on the performance of other current GreatPlants releases (arboretum.unl.edu/greatplants), let me know.
       Please evaluate plants from previous distributions and send those evaluations along with this year's order. You won't have much to report on plants that are only one or two years old, but we'd still like to know that they survived and where they were sited. If a plant dies, please let us know that also.
       The woody plants are 1-2 year old seedlings planted in 5” tree tubes. They average around 1' high so plan on protecting them from critter and mower damage. Many consortium losses over the years are due to rabbit and mower damage or lack of water to establish them. The herbaceous perennials are in 4” pots.
       Plants will again be limited to three of each species and distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis. If you request more than three individual plants we will do our best to honor your request or provide suitable substitutes. Plants will be shipped via UPS or they can be picked up in Lincoln at the Arboretum nursery, first row of greenhouses at the north entrance to East Campus at N. 38th & Huntington Avenue. We can meet you almost any time, so please contact us if you would like to arrange an alternate pick-up date.
       Wednesday, May 2nd
       Friday, May 4th
Thank you for your participation and interest in the Research Consortium. We welcome you to this special group of plant testers and plant collectors who share an appreciation for the wonder and beauty of new plants!
Bob Henrickson
Assistant Director of Horticulture Programs
402/472-7855
rhenrickson2@unl.edu