Galen Gates, the Chicago Botanic Garden's director of plant collections, will be the featured speaker at the Gardeners' Lecture Series program Thursday evening.
Gates is responsible for overseeing the 1.8 million plants in collections and displays at the Chicago garden, and he has led expeditions, including three to the former Soviet Union, in search of specimens new to the industry.
A founding member of the Midwest Plant Collecting Collaborative and the Perennial Plant Association, Gates' presentation, "New Perennial Plant Introductions," will bring some fresh ideas to your garden.
Here are some plants acquired through Gates or recently placed on the market through development at the Chicago Botanic Garden:
■ The yellow baptisia "Solar Flare Prairieblues," commonly known as false indigo, can grow to 4-5 feet and can be used in the back of a perennial border.
■ Echinacea "Pixie Meadowbrite" is a smaller variety of this popular plant.
■ Iris Iberica subspecies Elegantissima is an unusual bicolor bearded iris, with white standards over dark brown, highly veined falls.
This is a chance to get an insider's expertise about how new selections are uncovered and brought to market. For the last few years, the Fayette County Master Gardeners and Friends of The Arboretum have collaborated to bring influential and interesting horticulture experts to Lexington; this year Thoroughbred Landscape Products also is a sponsor.
Continuing-education units from the Landscape Architecture Board will be issued for this event, and there will be plant door prizes.
The lecture is at 7 p.m. Oct. 29 at the Fayette County Extension Office, 1140 Red Mile Place. Admission is $12 for the public, $10 for master gardeners and Friends of The Arboretum, and $5 for students with ID. For more information, contact the Fayette County Extension Service, (859) 257-5582, or The Arboretum, (859) 257-6955.
New hand tool: CobraHead
I've found a sturdy new hand tool that works very well. The CobraHead is named for the curved blade that ends with a sharp, flat diamond-shaped head. It does an amazing job of breaking up hard soil without a lot of muscle, and getting deep to the root of persistent weeds including dandelions and wild onions.
The narrow shaft fits between your plants to dig out weeds, and the head can be used to scratch out furrows to plant seeds. Developed and produced in Wisconsin by Noel Valdes and his family, it's priced at $24.95, which includes shipping, with quantity discounts available. You can find out more at the Web site, www.cobrahead.com.
Winter landscape plants
Are you mourning the loss of summer, now that frost has nipped the flowers, and leaves are falling from the trees?
There is hope. If you choose wisely, you can have interesting plants with winter features: textured bark, colorful fruit and even beautiful flowers that add a spark to your garden even in the coldest weather.
As part of the Gardener's Toolbox lecture series, the Fayette County Extension Office is offering a workshop called "Landscape Plants for Winter Interest." The session is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Nov. 10 at the extension office, 1140 Red Mile Place. Advance registration is required; the fee is $10. Several plants will be given as door prizes. The cost is $10. Call (859) 257-5582.
'Tree and Shrub Handbook'
Trees and shrubs can be large and costly long-term investments for landscaping your yard. You certainly want to survey possibilities carefully, to choose specimens that are perfectly suited for your space; that provide interesting foliage, berries or flowers throughout the seasons; and that are healthy and hardy.
The Homeowner's Complete Tree and Shrub Handbook by Penelope O'Sullivan (Storey Publishing $29.95) will give you a great start. More than half of its pages are an illustrated encyclopedia of 357 plant possibilities from Abelia to Zenobia.
Entries include the usual descriptions and color photographs, plus a list of suggested designers' choices, and uses in the landscape. Covered separately are elements of design, pests and diseases, pruning, care, and even special feature considerations such as a tree's winter silhouette and interesting bark.
Whether you're looking for the description of a particular specimen or browsing for ideas and inspiration, this reference is likely to have the answer.
Botanical photo art
Lexington photographer Mary Rezny has put together a new way of looking at flowers by creating a three-dimensional layered collage of enlarged individual pictures of a subject. She calls it "De-Construction." It brings the fresh, vibrant color of the garden into indoor space.
Rezny assembles a bouquet of sunflowers or a watermelon cut into blocky chunks, then carefully realigns them. See for yourself at the M.S. Rezny Studio/Gallery, Lexington's emerging Distillery District, 903 Manchester Street. For more information, go to www.msrezny.com or call (859) 252-4647.
