Auction 2012: Plants

The annual Gardeners' Party benefits the Horticulture Program at Wave Hill. Contact Stephanie Ehrlich at 718.549.3200 x310 for more about the party.

Pepe Maynard’s ‘I Cannot Live Without These Plants’ Collection

When Pepe talks about plants, she gets a far-away look in her eyes. Her love for plants is apparent. We’ve assembled her favorites for you, along with her recipe for designing a stunning spring display that continues to charm all year round. Begin with Pepe’s most treasured Stewartia monadelpha. Pair it with another beloved specimen tree, Franklinia alatamaha. First discovered along the Altamaha River in Georgia by John Bartram, early American botanist and friend of founding father Benjamin Franklin, it is very difficult to procure today. Adding height and year-round interest to the group are two red-twigged, variegated dogwoods, Cornus alba ‘Elegantissima’ and the new cultivar ‘Ivory Halo,’ pictured above. Underplant these trees and shrubs with hellebores and snowdrops. Pepe likes Helleborus niger or Christmas rose, which bloom early, but we offer here Wave Hill’s own Helleborus orientalis, the lovely yellow Lenten roses that have colonized outside the Flower Garden. Plant them around the red stems of the dogwood shrub, interspersed with Galanthus ikariae. Then sprinkle the blue bulbs of Anemone blanda ‘Blue Shades’ in front of the snowdrops. Off to the side, add another blue accent with the taller bulbs of Hyacinthoides hispanica ‘Excelsior’ and Camassia leichtlini coerulea for later blooms.

‘Oconee’ Sweetgum; Liquidambar styraciflua ‘Oconee’

‘Oconee’ sweetgum is a compact, rounded selection of the native North American species with fine burgundy fall color and improved hardiness.  It has interestingly lobed, palm-shaped leaves that are deep green and somewhat shiny, untroubled by insects and generally avoided by deer. The tree grows at a fast rate when young, reaching about 15 feet tall at maturity with a spread of 12 feet—an ideal size for the garden or smaller landscape. Multi-stemmed, it branches at about a foot above the ground. ‘Oconee’ sweet gum performs best in full sun in moisture-retentive, somewhat acidic soil. It is tolerant of urban conditions. Zone 5
Courtesy of Louis Bauer and Greenwood Gardens

‘Sonoma’ Dove Tree; Davidia involucrata ‘Sonoma’

The dove tree, also known as the handkerchief tree, is acclaimed by many gardening enthusiasts as the most handsome of flowering trees, justly revered for the enormous, creamy white bracts that surround its rather inconspicuous flowers. The bracts, or leaves, are so numerous along the branches that, as the common names suggest, they resemble handkerchiefs or doves swarming the tree.

Tree expert Michael Dirr notes that “when observed in flower there is an insatiable urge to secure a plant for one’s own garden.” Seedlings, however, could take 15 years or more to bloom, delaying gratification too long for most nurserymen and gardeners. Enter ‘Sonoma,’ which blooms young and prolifically, with even larger “flowers” than the species, up to 10 inches long!  We offer a magnificent specimen that bloomed heavily this spring, is 8 feet tall and well-branched. Quench that insatiable urge! Zone 6
Courtesy of the Wave Hill Gardeners

Pepe’s Deluxe Variegated Collection

These four plants exemplify Pepe’s love of variegated foliage. Plant them together or sprinkle them throughout your garden to add light and excitement to dark spots!
•  Variegated giant dogwood, Cornus controversa ‘Janine’
• ‘Gold Spring’ winterhazel, Corylopsis spicata ‘Gold Spring’
• ‘Sterling Silver’ blue mist spirea, Caryopteris x clandonensis ‘Sterling Silver’
• ‘White Gold’ spirea, Spiraea japonica ‘White Gold’
Zones 4 to 8
Courtesy of Maggy Geiger

Redvein Enkianthus; Enkianthus campanulatus

Red-tinged, creamy-white (or sometimes buttery-yellow) bell-shaped flowers adorn this shrub in spring, but then in autumn the show really starts: The exterior foliage turns a brilliant, salmon pink while the inner leaves brighten the effect further by turning a luminous chartreuse.  Grows 6 to 8 feet with a narrow spread of only 3 feet. Moist acidic soil. Full sun or part shade. Zones 5 to 7
Courtesy of the Wave Hill Gardeners

Special White Dahlia from Hollister House Garden

From the romantic Hollister House Garden, set against an historic Connecticut farmhouse, we offer one of their special dahlias, Dahlia ‘Great White’. This striking beauty is the most talked about plant in their collection and you can see why it wows all the garden’s visitors. ‘Great White’ was cultivated by George Schoellkopf, the designer plantsman. Schoellkopf created his country garden with inspiration from 20th century British gardens, complete with intimate rooms, interesting vistas and exuberant plantings. Of the dahlia he notes, “It reaches 5 to 6 feet in height but can be kept lower with pinching. It is very vigorous and quick to multiply and never has problems with rot in storage over winter.” Not hardy; dig after frost and store frost-free.
Courtesy of Hollister House Garden, George Schoellkopf and Susan Burke

 Weeping Katsura; Cercidiphyllum japonicum ‘Pendula’

Tree guru Michael Dirr writes that the katsura is “One of my favorite trees, overwhelming in overall attractiveness; if I could only use one, this would be my first tree.” About this weeping cultivar, he waxes poetic, noting that its habit “forms a mound of gracefully weeping branches which looks like blue-green water cascading over rocks.” He adds that it was discovered in a seedling population in Kentucky, where it was christened ‘Amazing Grace’ by Robert Hill of the Louisville Courier Journal. Added bonus: The fine, yellow, fall color is accompanied by the smell of caramel or burnt sugar! Full sun, 40-60 feet in height, 20-30 feet spread. Zones 4 to 8
Courtesy of Maggy Geiger

 Firesticks or Sticks-on-Fire ; Euphorbia tirucalli ‘Rosea’

If you think leaves and flowers are highly overrated, this is the plant for you! Firesticks (Euphorbia tirucalli ‘Rosea’) is a more colorful form of the old-fashioned green pencil cactus whose stem tips take on brilliant pink and orange tones in the cooler weather of fall and winter. It is a highly sculptural plant that stands alone as a specimen in a sunny windowsill, or as an outdoor garden accent during the warmer months. Planted in a fabulous container and placed in a prominent spot, it is sure to attract attention from gardeners and non-gardeners alike. Firesticks is the perfect plant to brighten up a sunny, winter windowsill when it is too cold to get outside and garden. A tough and forgiving plant, this South African native tolerates temperatures as low as 30 degrees Fahrenheit. Do note that like other members of the Euphorbia family, broken stems of this plant secrete a milky sap that may irritate eyes and skin. Wash hands thoroughly if you come in contact with the sap and keep out of reach of children and pets.
Courtesy of the Wave Hill Gardeners

The Citrus Quartet

These lemon and lime plants really sing Wave Hill! Citrus limon ‘Eureka Variegated Pink’ is grown from cuttings from a tree in the collection. Not only are the leaves variegated, but the fruit rind is striped and the flesh is pinkish. Citrus limon ‘Ponderosa’ is one of the most noticed plants in the Wave Hill Palm House, where the original plant overwinters. They don’t call it the wonder lemon for nothing! The fruit is oversized like a grapefruit but tastes like a lemon. The Wave Hill Gardeners have enjoyed many a yummy lemon tart courtesy of colleague Susannah Strazzera, who also propagated these two little trees. Citrus x aurantifolia is a key lime that Assistant Director of Horticulture Brian McGowan received from the propagator at Smith College. To complete the collection, Director of Horticulture Scott Canning has added the Citrus hystrix, the Kaffir lime. Planted in pretty pots from Pearl River, these plants will need to be brought indoors over winter and will eventually grow larger. T. H. Everett recommends the following: “As container specimens, citrus give little trouble in fertile, well-drained, loamy soil that is kept moderately moist and never for long periods wet. Winter night temperatures indoors of 40‒50 degrees Fahrenheit and daytime temperatures five to 15 degrees higher are ideal. Generous watering and fertilizing from spring through fall is in order. In winter, less watering and no fertilizing is proper.”
Courtesy of the Wave Hill Gardeners and Myra Hecht