Download 2009 Seed Exchange Seed List and Order Form.

For more information ACS members may reach Wayne at Wayne@ghhf.org. Seed Orders can be Faxed to: 603-929-1810
or mailed, address for ACS seed:

ACS Seed Exchange
c/o Great Hill Hort Foundation
137 Kensington Road
Hampton Falls, NH 03844

ACS members may also pickup a processed order if requested with order, but suggest they call and make arrangements. On receipt of seed they would packaged in small envelops with thermal label of seed type and source. Members would receive a padded envelop with packing invoice attached and any required printed materials with seed included. Order would be shipped within 3 days of receipt with confirmation via e-mail if needed.

Great Hill Horticultural Foundation is a non-profit organization for research and education formed by Paul and Sandra Montrone. Wayne manages the greenhouses at GHHF and assist at Japanese garden grounds. Primarily funded by Paul & Sandra Montrone and are active in surrounding communities supporting other organizations. Leslie Lindgren is Executive Director of the facility.

Download 2009 National Meeting Flyer.

Download 2009 National Meeting Registration.

The Northeastern Region is excited to host this year’s ACS National Meeting on Long Island. Our emphasis will be the Great Gatsby themed estates of Long Island. Each of these estates were created with lavish gardens and magnificent landscapes. The estates contain their own pinetum which features mature conifer specimens as well as dwarf conifer gardens. We will also visit the perhaps the finest public garden in the Unites States: the New York Botanical Gardens in the Bronx, New York. The NYBG features the Benenson Collection of Dwarf and Unusual Conifers plus a number of the conifer discoveries of late Dr. Sid Waxman.

Hyatt Regency Long Island 1717 Motor Parkway Hauppauge, New York, USA 11788 Phone: 1-631-784-1234 Fax: 1-631-232-9853 Website: http://longisland.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/index.jsp

Events
New York Botanical Gardens	Our ACS meeting will feature: Premier garden tours Educational Talks featuring the ACS Scholarship 2008 winner Outstanding silent and verbal conifer auctions Excellent accommodations Plenty of conifer information and conifer comradery PLUS attendance by members of the British and Dutch Conifer Societies Exclusive Post tour (details soon)

THE AMERICAN CONIFER SOCIETY $2500 SCHOLARSHIP

Select "Read More" below to review requirements.

In June 2008 at the National in DuBuque, Iowa, the ACS Board unanimously approved raising the scholarship award to $2500. The Board felt that encouraging the younger generation and sharing our passion for conifers was a priority for our society’s future membership and their subsequent participation. The scholarship also helps the ACS fulfill its mission.

The new 2009 Application Forms and Eligibility Forms can be downloaded here:

Download ACS 2009 Scholarship Requirements.
Download ACS 2009 Scholarship Application form.

They may also be obtained by contacting;

The ACS Scholarship Committee
Gerald P. Kral
900 Winton Rd.,N
Rochester, NY 14609
Email: gkral1@rochester.rr.com

An unusual opportunity for ACS Scholarship recipients is to have their experience published in the Conifer Quarterly (CQ), a highly regarded publication with international exposure.

The ACS Scholarship was established in 2005. Kevin Stevens received $1000.00 in 2006 to help meet his expenses to travel to Kyoto, Japan and attend a 6 week Garden Seminar.

Andrew Pulte, a Masters Thesis Candidate at the University of Tennessee, received $1000.00 to cover his travel and lodging to attend the ACS 2007 National in Seattle. His story will appear in the 2009 winter issue of the CQ.

Ryan Contereras (PhD Candidate at the University of Georgia) and Matthew S. Wilson (Master Thesis Candidate at the University of Auburn, Alabama) each received $1000.00 to cover their school expenses and purchase educational materials. Matthew’s story will appear in the 2009 spring issue of the CQ. Ryan will either be telling us his story in the 2009 summer issue of the CQ or telling us in person at our 2009 National at Long Island, NY.

In early 2007, experts determined that time and nature had weakened the tree beyond saving. The tree was still alive but there were many dead limbs and rot inside. Several limbs had fallen off. A windstorm in December 2006 ripped a large section of rotted wood from old lightning scar out of the trunk about 80 feet from the ground. A fruiting conk of Phaeolus schweinitzii fungus on the face of the trunk indicated spreading rot inside.

Prior to the storm the tree was estimated at 206 feet tall, 17 feet in diameter, with a crown of 93 feet. The age was estimated 500 to 750 years old. The tree sprouted from a seed on the forest floor around the signing of the Magna Carta in 1215. Due to the large size a accurate age was never possible.

The 17-foot diameter trunk remains, and visitors can get a sense of the massive size of the tree. Large portions of the fallen tree will be left laying on the ground to become a “nurse log” for a new generation of giants. The park remains the first Oregon Heritage Tree Site.

By Laszlo Orloci

By following the major trends of Western Europe, Chamaecyparis lawsoniana cultivars have become too widespread in Hungary, though it is clear by now that their adaptability to the general climatic conditions in Hungary is poor. Most of these cultivars require a temperate maritime climate with cool summers and ample precipitation all year round. Under the climatic conditions of Hungary, with hot, arid summers and a generally continental character, these cultivars provide good aesthetic appearance only in humid microclimatic areas. There is a strong demand for better substitutes for these taxa, which are similar in habit but are more adaptable under our climate. For this purpose X Cupressocyparis cultivars (hybrids of Chamaecyparis nootkatensis and one of several Cupressus species) would be the best choice, since the few taxa already introduced have proven their adaptability.

What is a Renaissance?
The American Heritage Dictionary defines Renaissance as "A rebirth or revival.". Conifers are enjoying a Renaissance of sorts. Now more than any other time conifers are in the limelight. Technology has had a tremendous impact on information and availability of many plants and this has affected conifers as well. Even the media is publishing more information about conifers. With all of this focus, awareness of our favorite plants is on the rise.

Pine Trees?
How many times have you heard someone say, "I like this pine tree! The needles are so blue!"? This may not sound that strange to you at first, until you remember that they were referring to a Colorado Blue Spruce , (upper right Picea pungens). Many gardeners will refer to all needled conifers as Pines, (left Pinus), or all conifers as evergreens. This is far from being accurate, but it is really not their fault and is the same our calling any dog a "dog" or all insects are "bugs". It is mostly a matter of education and interest. The more interested you are in something generally the more you want to know about it and surround yourself with people of like interests. This is mainly the reason that the Conifer Society was created. We are a community of conifer enthusiasts and when we meet we relish in our ability to converse with each other and have others understand exactly what we are talking about.

Pruning Dos and Don’ts, and Some Conifer Tips

By Wade Harris

Editor’s Note: The information contained in this article was presented by the author and Jack Wikle at the August 2000 National Meeting in Michigan.]

There are general rules to follow when doing any kind of pruning, whether the material is deciduous or coniferous. However, it is also useful to think of pruning a plant in two stages: pruning required to maintain plant health and pruning for form or aesthetics. These areas are not exclusive and there is considerable overlap. For example, removing dead or crossed-over limbs is necessary for health, but it also improves the form or aesthetic value of the plant.

It is also important to know how the plant grows. Does it push candles like pine? Does it flush multiple times per year like hemlock? Does it grow continuously till fall like juniper? All these factors and more will determine the best way to prune for the desired results, and will also help dictate when to prune. For any species, how it grows is partly dependent on where it is growing, and partly dependent on the genetics of the plant. Plants respond to their environment. Hemlock, for example, may flush three or four times per year in Oregon, but here in Michigan we usually only get two growth flushes.

Top 10 List of Conifer Books

By Charlene Harris

[From the Fall 2000 issue (Volume 17, Number 4) of the ACS Bulletin.]

In January 2000, I sent a survey to over 50 ACS members asking for their opinion of the best conifer books. The survey was sent to hobby gardeners and conifer collectors, staff at botanical gardens and arboreta with conifer collections, and nurserymen who propagate and/or sell conifers. The question posed was simply What books do you recommend for conifer information? The question was intentionally broad and non-specific.

Members were asked to list their Top 10 books (or less), written in the English language. The books did not need to be currently in print, nor did they need to be exclusively about conifers. Brief comments were welcome, but not necessary. Some of the comments received are included with the following survey results. (See listing for book sources at the end of the article.)