July/August 2008 - Volume 87, Number 4

The following is a table of contents of the articles that appear in the July/August 2008 issue of The American Gardener.  Links have been established to each article.  However, many articles are only accessible to American Horticultural Society (AHS) members . When you click on these links, a challenge will appear for a username (ahs) and password that AHS members can use to view these articles. Non-members are encouraged to join AHS to be able to enjoy each of these articles and the many other benefits of AHS membership.

ASTERISKS (*) INDICATE PAGES VIEWABLE BY NON-MEMBERS.
Non-members can view the EXCERPT from the
Tough-as-Nails Perennials feature.

Note: Most articles files below are in PDF format.
If you do not have Adobe Acrobat Viewer installed,
you will need to download it in order to view/print the articles.

When an article is selected a new window will appear to display the article.  When finished reading the article, close the window to return to this page. 
Remember PDF files are large content files and will take some time to download depending on the speed of the user's Internet connection.

Features

• Lovable Lobelias by Rand B. Lee
  Lobelias fill the summer landscape with color.
   
• Bizarre and Beautiful Hardy Aroids by Gene Bush
  Plants in the arum family range from simply gorgeous to just plain weird.
  Note: To read Gene Bush’s article about aroids in the genus Arisaema, click here.
   
• Tough-as-Nails Perennials* by Carole Ottesen
  Resilient perennials that can survive drought, deer, and neglect deserve a place in every garden.

Web special: More Regional Choices for Tough Perennials

• Desert Bloom in the Northwest by Pat Munts
  In Washington State, a garden featuring thousands of hardy cacti surprises many visitors.
   
• Lighting Up the Summer Shade Garden by Barbara Ellis
  Plants with brightly colored flowers or foliage enliven shady gardens all summer long.

• Notes from River Farm*
  Insights and updates about American horticulture and the AHS from Board of Directors Chair Susie Usrey and Executive Director Tom Underwood.
   
• Members’ Forum*
  Reader letters to the editor.
   
• News from AHS*
  Updates on American Horticultural Society programs and events. In this issue: AHS celebrates award winners, River Farm meadow completed, Bob Hill wins award for article in The American Gardener, upcoming AHS webinars, President’s Council visits Washington, D.C., Saturday lectures at River Farm, details about America in Bloom symposium in Ohio.
   
• One on One With…
  Interviews with today’s leaders and trendsetters in gardening and horticulture. This issue: Roger Doiron of Kitchen Gardeners International.
   
• Natural Connections
  An occasional look at creatures and natural phenomena in the garden. This issue: Understanding slugs is key to control.
   
• Green Garage*
  A series focusing on the AHS’s latest initiative to promote environmentally responsible gardening tools, supplies, and techniques. In this issue: Earth-friendly lawnmowers.

Web special: Mowing Tips

Web special: Reader Comments About Reel and Electric Mowers

• Gardener’s Notebook*
  Short, newsworthy articles on horticultural topics. This issue: EPA recalls Scotts products, potential budget cuts threaten U.S. National Arboretum, grant funds new native plant garden in New York, study reveals that pollution impacts pollination, new organization launched to tackle plant nomenclature, plants in the workplace increase job satisfaction, preservation of original Heronswood location uncertain.
   
• Book Reviews*
  Featured: Life in the Soil, Gardening With Children, A Child’s Garden, and Recipes from the Garden. Special focus: Summer reading.
   
• Regional Happenings*
  Listings of lectures, flower shows, and other gardening events across the country. Featured: Blithewold centennial; Minnesota Landscape Arboretum celebrates 50 years and Horticultural Research Center turns 100; major green industry events in Portland, Oregon, this fall.
   
• Hardiness and Heat Zones and Pronunciations*
  A guide to USDA Plant Hardiness and AHS Plant Heat Zones for most of the cultivated plants listed in each issue - and a user-friendly guide to pronouncing their botanical names.
   
• Plant in the Spotlight
  A closer look at selected plants. This issue: American smoketree.

You can gain access to the online version of this issue of The American Gardener AND get a printed copy of each bimonthly issue mailed to your home by becoming an American Horticultural Society (AHS) member today. Click here to learn about the many other benefits of AHS membership--the annual Free Seed Exchange, toll-free gardener's hotline, free and discounted admission to flower shows and botanical gardens, and much more--and for a membership application. To purchase a single copy of the magazine, click here.

Items marked with an asterisk (*) can be viewed
by non-members without a username and password.

Letters to the editor should be emailed to: editor@ahs.org or mailed to:
Editor, AHS,
7931 East Boulevard Drive,
Alexandria VA 22308.