THE AMERICAN CHESTNUT TREE
The
American chestnut was once considered the largest, tallest and fastest-growing trees. The wood was rot-resistant, straight-grained, and suitable for furniture, fencing, and building. The nuts fed billions of wildlife, people, and their livestock. It was almost a perfect tree. That is, until a blight fungus killed it nearly a century ago. The chestnut blight has been called the greatest ecological disaster to strike the world's forests in all of history.
Pittsburgh serves as the home to 30 American chestnuts, residing in Frick and Highland Park. The Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy continues planting this rare species for research and experimentation.
"I am replicating breeding work that the American Chestnut Foundation is embracing by taking advanced genetic hybrids and planting them out with surviving chestnuts trees and letting open pollination occur," Phil Gruszka, Parks Conservancy director of horticulture and forestry said. "I will never see the benefits of this, but my grandchildren might."
Parks Conservancy advocate and supporter, Kitty Brunkhorst, took a particular interest in this project.
"I learned that Phil was working with (Parks Maintenance Manager) Dick Wilford to plant American chestnut tree seeds about two years ago. It was somewhat funny to me to think of these two men finding a secret place to plant and tend these seeds, planning to see what did and didn't work," Kitty said.
"I've been concerned about trees in Frick Park for a long time, as I live nearby and spend many hours in the park. The fact that they were attempting to revive a native species seemed worthwhile," Kitty explained.
To learn more about the American Chestnut and how genetic engineering can potentially revive these trees, click
here. If you'd like to explore the work that the American Chestnut Foundation is doing to restore this species, click
here.
"So you do a lot of planting?"
This is a question I receive often when people realize I'm a professional park gardener.
Fun fact – we spend most of our time pulling weeds!
Yes, we plant trees, bulbs, and annual flowers, but this is a small fraction of what we spend our time doing within Pittsburgh's parks. The types of vegetation we plant in the parks have very specific windows in which they can be planted.
Planting trees takes approximately five days in the spring and five days in the fall. We also spend approximately two days in the fall planting bulbs and spend four-to-six days in May planting annuals. However, we spend days - actually, weeks - pullings weeds!
The flower beds in the parks are planted with perennial plants that bloom year after year, so they don't require planting, but they do require regular weeding. We even pull weeds during the winter months.
In the park woodlands, pulling vines from trees and removing woody invasive shrubs is a form of weeding and this is how we spend our winter months in the parks. We don't use herbicides to control weeds, so it's up to our team of park gardeners and volunteers to remove them.
Your Gardener,
Angela Yuele
A compilation of the Parks Conservancy's Horticulture and Forestry team's (also known as the 'Sassies') favorite plants.
Let's talk about summer flowering bulbs! Plant these underground structures in the spring and enjoy colorful blooms through the summer! Learn about some of our favorite plants below.
Jaci Bruschi, Gardener | CANNA
This cultivar is a 'South Pacific Scarlet.' It's a great cultivar of Canna from the South Pacific series; it will grow to about four-to-five feet it can be planted in a container and in a garden bed. Though it is not hardy to our zone, you can dig the bulbs up at the end of the season and save for next year's planting.
Angela Yuele, Horticulturist | GLADIOLUS
Gladiolus are an old-time favorite. I fondly remember my grandpa being very proud of his Gladiolus! These are a tender summer bulb, which means they need to be dug up, or purchased, every year and replanted. The bloom time is brief on theses beauties. To prolong the bloom time you can stagger plantings in two-week intervals. This is a popular plant for flower arrangements as well!
Robin Eng, Restoration Gardener | GRAPE-LEAF ANEMONE
Grape-leaf or Japanese anemone produce great mounding heaps of lush dark green foliage year-round. Then as the major blooms of summer appear to be dying back, they put out great cloud-like plumes of blossoms, raised above to foliage on graceful flower stalks. Although not native to the United States, these great perennials are well worth a spot in any sunny garden. Colors vary from white to shades of pink, and blooms can last for weeks on mature plants. If you're looking for a perennial addition to prolong the flowering season of your garden, this one comes highly recommended!
Maggie Herrick, Restoration Gardener | MONTEBRETIA
A member of the iris family, Montebretia (Crocosmia spp.) is a late summer bloomer that will give your garden interest into the fall. Hummingbirds, butterflies, and birds will be especially happy with the flowers and the seedpods that follow and provide a food source. The strappy, sword-like foliage demonstrates the relation to irises and provide a texture contrast to other plants. These flowering corms come in a range of heights up to five feet and a variety of striking colors. They are salt and drought tolerant, prefer full sun, but can tolerate some shade and make great cut flowers. Mulch these plants heavily or bring them inside during the winter to help them survive.
P.S. Remember, parks and greenspaces have never been more vital. The time you spend outdoors during rejuvenates your body and mind. Honor that time and the essential role nature plays in your daily life by choosing to
make a donation today to support the parks you know and love.
Every little bit counts.
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