Our industry lost one of its most beloved members, Rusty Dems, owner of Manlius Shade Tree Nursery and All Green Landscaping, on Sunday. Rusty had a big personality and a very big heart, and will be very sadly missed. Rusty’s obituary and arrangements are here.
CNY in Bloom report: The new venue, SRC Arena at Onondaga Community College, was very nice—it’s brand-new. Landscapes East won the top prize for the second year in a row. The CNYSNLA did a great job interpreting the theme, “Show Time.” I especially enjoyed the “drive-in” association garden, pictured here.
There is a nice piece about Liverpool garden center Ballantyne Gardens (who also had a great display at CNY in Bloom) in Garden Chic this month. (Thanks @baringerevents for the link.)
Scientists from across the world—Pakistan, Wales, and Binghamton University—are studying the world’s first forest, 365 million years old. It was in Schoharie County, right here in upstate New York, and according to BU professor William Stein, “There’s more time between this forest and the earliest dinosaurs than the dinosaurs and us.” There is a story via pressconnects.com and another, more detailed accounting on msnbc. The study was reported on last week in the journal Nature. This link leads to the abstract; the article itself is behind a paywall. Below, an artist’s rending of what the forest might have looked like.
Speaking of firsts, and plants, you may have heard that, beginning January 1, newly named plants no longer have to appear on paper, that electronic versions of this information are acceptable under the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature. Why does matter? It doesn’t, very much, to us, but it will allow scientists to work faster and collaborate better over large distances. First plant described: A new Solanum species. (Thanks to @batesnursery for the heads-up.)
The Upstate Gardeners’ Journal is out! I haven’t sent out the formal e-blast about it, but you can read it online here.
Purple Wonder strawberry, the latest small fruit to come out of Cornell’s breeding program, made its début at the Philadelphia Flower Show yesterday. The June-bearing plant produces “incredible purple fruits” that are “extra sweet and delicious,” according to Burpee, Purple Wonder’s exclusive seller. Article from D&C.
And now, a diversion. “The Dark Rose,” a novel by British author Erin Kelly, is given a good review at NPR.com: “Louisa is a 39-year-old horticulturist recently moved into a crummy trailer near the grounds of a ruined estate that dates from the Middle Ages. Louisa specializes in resurrecting ancient gardens from the barest traces of flowerbeds and ponds, but she lives in the past in another sense, too.” Sounds intriguing.
Rusty Dems was my amazing father, thank you for honoring him on your website, it means so much to my family.
Amber Dems
Amber, I am so sad about your dad. He was just a great guy. I hope you all are doing ok. Thank you for your comment.
—Jane