NSA Award Winners 2009 (below)

High Country Gardens Nurseryman Speaks to Nebraska Gardeners
Joseph & Dorothy Young Memorial Lecture in Horticulture sponsored by the Young family, Vlcek Gardens, Wild Plums, Bluebird Nursery, Inc., UNL Center for Grassland Studies, Faller Landscape & Nursery, and Kennedy Landscape Services L.L.C.

LECTURE: Second floor of the UNL City Campus Union Auditorium at 14th & R St.
PARKING OPTIONS: Parking meters on R Street; nearby parking garages include University Square Garage at 14th & P St. and Que Place Garage at 11th & Q St.

LINCOLN—Nebraska gardeners are more than a little careful about where they get their advice but they trust recommendations from High Country Gardens , a mail order nursery specializing in plants that meet Nebraska's tough-as-nails requirements for hardy, water thrifty, ornamental and environmentally friendly plants.
      Horticulturist David Salman is the featured speaker of the 2009 Joseph & Dorothy Young Memorial Lectures in Horticulture at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) on Thursday, November 5 at 7:00 p.m. at the UNL City Campus Union auditorium. He will be speaking on “The Water Thrifty Garden: Enjoying colorful native and adapted perennials in your Nebraska landscape.” A professional nurseryman, greenhouse grower and gardener for his entire career, Salman also writes his High Country Gardens catalog and selects the plants offered by the catalog. As part of his professional focus, he also seeks out, breeds and evaluates garden worthy plants, specializing in native species from the U.S. and northern Mexico as well as cold hardy, xeric species from western Asia and South Africa.
      Salman was part of a Nebraska Statewide Arboretum gardening series 11 years ago and is eager to return. He has lived in New Mexico for most of his life, where the challenges are similar to those in Nebraska. Because of that, Salman said, he has “come to love plants with an untamed spirit, plants strong enough to survive harsh climates, short growing seasons and unpredictable precipitation.”
      The High Country Gardens catalog reveals Salman's other affinities: plants that attract butterflies and hummingbirds; environmentally-friendly landscapes; water harvesting and other practices that make the most of every resource available; and strong colors that won't fade in the heat and exposure of long, hard summers.
      The Joseph & Dorothy Young Memorial Lectures in Horticulture honors the late Dr. Joseph Young, a horticulturist who served the University of Nebraska-Lincoln as a teacher, researcher and administrator. The lecture series is hosted by the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum and made possible by a generous gift from the Young family.
      Call 402/472-2971 to pre-register before October 29. Cost is $12 and $10 to NSA members; free to students with ID; on-site registration from 6-6:45.
      The Nebraska Statewide Arboretum is both a non-profit horticultural organization and a program of the Nebraska Forest Service, part of University of Nebraska's Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources. NSA achieves its mission of "sustainable landscapes for healthy homes and communities" through initiatives in education, community landscapes and the environment. For more information about Salman's visit, call 402/472-2971.

Arboretum Honors Outstanding Efforts

      An educator, construction company and nurseryman were among those honored at the 2009 Award Reception of the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum on October 10 at Spring Creek Prairie Audubon Center. The honorees received awards for outstanding contributions in the areas of education, tree-planting and community beautification.

Johnny Appleseed Award – Recognizes an individual who embodies the gentle good nature of Johnny Appleseed (John Chapman) through a sustained personal involvement in tree planting in Nebraska.
      Larry Martin has planted over 800 black walnut and pecan trees and, along with his son Justin, shares his knowledge and expertise through seminars about the nutritional value of nuts and about growing and grafting nut trees. Martin helped found Heartland Nuts ‘N More, a cooperative of 35 native black walnut and pecan growers who process and distribute nuts nationwide through a retail, processing and packaging plant in Valparaiso.

Educator Award – Recognizes educators who have made an outstanding contribution toward advancing the knowledge and appreciation of plants among their students .
      McKenzie Barry of the Lower Platte South Natural Resources District works tirelessly to advance environmental education in Lincoln and surrounding communities. Her enthusiasm and passion have inspired thousands of children and youth, teachers and non-formal educators to “Get Outside!” through school Nature Clubs and Nature Nights for families. She works with teachers and administrators to develop well-designed outdoor classrooms with native plants, wildlife habitat and natural play elements, and trains them to use the space effectively. Barry's ability to “make things happen” makes her an exceptional educator.

President's Citation – Given at the discretion of the president of the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum Executive Board in recognition of outstanding contribution toward the NSA mission.
       Nurseryman Bob Campbell (posthumous) was an incredibly successful nurseryman who created a remarkable nursery business and transferred his love of plants to his children and grandchildren, who in turn are passing this passion on to new generations of Nebraskans. It's impossible to measure the impact Bob Campbell and other pioneering Nebraska nurserymen and women but their efforts have beautified landscapes throughout the entire state.

Blazing Star Award – Recognizes significant contributions in native plant horticulture or the restoration of native plant communities in Nebraska .
      Peg & Larry Fletcher have worked hard to restore their acreage along the Mopac trail to prairie and native woodlands, harvesting native seed from local prairie remnants and native oaks. Through their efforts, this beautiful grassland prairie will be maintained in perpetuity as a scenic, cultural, scientific and educational resource easily accessible to Lincoln-area trail users.

Jim Kluck Honor Award – Recognizes significant contributions to the organization or to an affiliate site of the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum as exemplified by the late Schuyler nurseryman Jim Kluck.
      B n E Construction owners Eric Johnson and Bill Hubbel turned a $30,000 project into a $45,000 project for the Franklin Cotterell Greens Arboretum in North Bend. The half mile concrete trail they built makes the arboretum accessible to the school and the nearby care center, greatly expanding the arboretum's use. Without their generous contribution, the trail could not have been completed this year, Feurer said, “The North Bend community has been very good to us and now, through B n E's generosity, this beautiful, winding trail is a gift back to the community.”

Affiliate Excellence Award – Recognizes an affiliate site of the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum that demonstrates excellence in collection development, maintenance practice and community engagement .
      Campus of a Thousand Oaks Arboretum at Peru State College is nestled in the oak-covered hills above the Missouri River. The college is over 140 years old, relatively young compared to some of the majestic trees growing on campus and in surrounding woodlands. An accredited arboretum since 1979, it experienced a rebirth over the last ten years through curators Mike Haley and Linda Jacobsen. Hundreds of new trees and shrubs have been planted, including an oak grove with 37 species. Haley says “if it's an oak and it will grow in Nebraska, we'll have it at Peru State College.”

Volunteer Award – Recognizes sustained volunteer contributions to an affiliate site of the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum.
      Betty Olson, Betty Poague and Bob Vogel. For the past six years, rain or shine, this group of volunteers has logged countless hours to get native and under-used perennials, grasses and tree seedlings off to a good start and into the hands of eager gardeners.

Graduate Student Research Award – Recognizes outstanding graduate student work in woody plant research in Nebraska.
      Christina Huck is a self-starter whose experiments with various trellis systems for grapes helped determine their impact on yield and harvest fruit characteristics. She is currently pursuing a PhD program focusing on sustainable viticulture and continuing her efforts to provide science-based recommendations for Nebraska grape growers.