In 2006, it is the Southeastern Region’s turn to host the ACS National Meeting. The Planning Committee is excited to share the news that the site and headquarters will be in Tennessee. This is a state that has never been visited by the ACS in the 20 plus years that we have been in existence. Our base will be in Knoxville where our search committee encountered an unexpected spirit of welcome, hospitality and cooperation. The timing in mid June, from June 14- June 17, was chosen to beat the summer heat of the Southeast.

The most exciting outdoor attraction of our meeting will be a day in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. We will spend one full day in this spectacular mountain range at the southern end of the Appalachians, which start in Maine. We will drive along streams splashing over boulders and rocks, and lined with native hemlocks (Tsuga canadensis). We will take in grand views from the higher elevations with altitudes above 6,000 feet , to see red spruce (Picea rubens) and some of the remaining stands of Fraser firs (Abies fraseri). If we are lucky, native rhododendron (Catawba and Rosebay), Mountain Laurel and flame azaleas will be in bloom. A vegetation specialist park ranger will explain the dangers to some tree species and the efforts of the National Park Service to ensure their survival. In the winter issue of the CQ we will introduce you to more details about the forests in the Great Smoky Mountains.

In Knoxville we will visit private woodland gardens on hillsides, the trial gardens of the University of TN – Department of Agriculture; a conifer trial collection at a nursery, and the future Knoxville Botanical Garden on the site of the previous Howell Nursery which was founded in 1786. The Howell Nursery was most likely one of the first nurseries in the US. Here we will see over 100 years old specimen of Cedrus libani (Lebanon cedar), mature Cunninghamia lanceolata ‘Glauca’, Metasequoia glyptostroboides (Dawn redwood) and other conifers which were planted 20 to 40 years ago.

To add to our excitement ,we have just confirmed that Don Shadow, Shadow Nursery in Winchester, TN, will be one of our featured speakers. For those who are not famliar with Don, he is world renown grower and collector of plants including conifers and exotic animals. Don is well known around the world , especially in Japan where he regularly visits in an effort to offer the latest introductions in horticulture. Picea orientalis ‘Shadow’s Broom’ was but one of many introductions.

A Post Conference Tour will have Asheville NC as destination and include the famous Biltmore Estate, the NC Arboretum, and quite a few exciting private gardens in the area. In addition, we are exploring the possibilities for a pre-conference hike to old growth forest in the Smokies for experienced hikers, and as an option for non-hikers, a day trip to Cades Cove featuring 18th and 19th century farm buildings along an 11-mile loop in the beautiful Great Smoky Mountain setting.

“You can’t grow conifers in the Southeast”, I was once told. That may be true for Southern Florida and other tropical and subtropical areas. In reality it is surprising how many species grow ‘down’ here. The Southeast is made up not only of coastal areas but the hilly Piedmont and the mountain ranges of the Appalachians running through Virginia, West Virginas, North Carolina, South Carolina , Georgia and Tennessee, in their higher elevations - up to over 6,600 feet ( 2,200 m) with climate zones comparable to Maine and Southern Canada. While quite a few species of native pines junipers and bald cypress thrive in the coastal areas, there are forests, even old-growth forests, with native Tsuga canadensis (hemlock), Picea rubens (red spruce0, Abies fraseri (balsam firs), - in the mountains. The lower costal areas and the hilly Piedmont can grow Cedrus deodara, Cryptomeria, Cunninghamia, Cupressus, Dawn Redwood, and others which do not do well in most colder climates.

It is true, however, that garden conifers have not made their entry into as many public and private gardens or not to the extent as in more northern locations. But efforts by nurseries and botanical gardens to change that are under way. Here, ACS in accordance with our mission statement can make a difference by attempting to make an impact to increase the awareness in the public, professionals and hobbyists alike, of the availability and suitability of garden conifers for the southern landscape.