Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting

WERA – 1013 Minutes from Annual Business Meeting

Prepared by Bill Graves, Iowa State University

The annual business meeting began in our hotel conference room on October 2, 2015, after the research reports concluded.  We were unable to complete the meeting before needing to depart on a tour, so the remainder of the meeting was held in a seating area in the hotel lobby after dinner on October 2.

Attendees:  Bill Graves, Jim Klett, Heidi Kratsch, Steve Love, Karen Panter, Larry Rupp, Chase Snowden, Mikel Stevens      

Invasiveness/Aggressiveness.  If and how to respond to feedback that our group should consider invasiveness of plants we evaluate was discussed.  It was agreed that invasiveness, by definition, was a non-issue for plants indigenous to where they would be promoted for use.  A taxon’s aggressiveness under garden conditions is relevant and important; the group agreed that we should rate or otherwise describe aggressiveness of any plants we promote.  Our stance on invasiveness and aggressiveness should be included in our next project renewal document.

Funding.  Opportunities for funding our research and outreach were discussed.  Larry mentioned the Western Region of IPPS and the idea of rating water use of plants.  Heidi and Mikel agreed about the importance of this idea, particularly due to the recent drought.  Steve emphasized the importance of industry support/pressure for funding; we need to find industry partners who will push our ideas for research and outreach with legislators.  Water utilities might be partners as well, and states’ water resources agencies could be explored for support.  Each of us should investigate the water resource agency in our state.  Fire-wise landscaping, an issue with strong relevance this year, was discussed.  Ann, our tour guide earlier in the day, had mentioned an existing database of fire resistance of plants for the three-zone design system: http://www.blm.gov/style/medialib/blm/id/fire/firewise_garden.Par.17674.File.dat/Fire_Resistance_of_Plants_Master_Database_508.pdf. 

The taxa we are evaluating could be rated for fire resistance.  Ratings are based on height, water content, saponin content.  Leaf tissue is targeted for analysis because it is the first to be ignited as a plant begins to burn.  Steve agreed to investigate funding opportunities related to fire-wise landscaping.  Heidi will investigate methodology of assessing fire resistance. 

Website.  Our web site can continue to be hosted by the University of Wyoming, probably for at least the next five years.  Visitation to the site is low, and Karen agreed to discuss with her IT colleague how we might make the site easier to find and be displayed as a result of browser searches.  Each of us should considering linking the WERA-1013 site to our individual sites and/or our departments’ sites.  Instructions for finding the site would help, either printed on business cards or via an e-mail message.  Facebook and Twitter were mentioned as ways to enhance awareness of our activities.  Tracy’s request about the fact sheets she is creating was discussed.  The group agreed that a good approach would be to include a link to her sheets on our group’s web site.  Other states are likely to have similar fact sheets that also could be linked under our “Useful Links” heading.  Our own sites could be linked by contacting atanaka@uwyo.edu.

Plant descriptions.  The need to prepare additional plant descriptions for our web site was discussed.  Bill, Larry, Karen, Steve, Jim, Heidi, and Mikel all agreed to prepare one or more descriptions, and a deadline of January 15 was established.

Bill:  Berberis fendleri

Larry:  Fraxinus anomala, Mahonia repens

Karen:  Opuntia spp., taxa of Dianthus

Jim:  Cerocarpus montanus, Pachyistima cambii, Fallugia paradoxa

Steve:  Salvia pachyphylla, Zinnia grandiflora, Aquilegia chrysantha, Tetraneuris acaulis

Mikel: Penstemon etonii, Penstemon palmeri

Speakers.  There was a brief, general discussion of coordinating speakers at the various conferences in which we participate.  Each of us should be mindful of the expertise within our group when selecting speakers.

Elections.  There was no need for elections this year.  Genhua will continue as chair in 2016.  Bill will take over as chair for 2017-2018.  Elections will be needed next year.

Upcoming meetings.  Next year’s meeting will be held in Iowa, organized and hosted by Bill.  Tentative dates are October 7-8, 2016.  We anticipate that the meeting in 2017 will be in Montana, and that Wyoming will be the venue in 2018.

Individual state accomplishments are attached.

Accomplishments:

Utah State University conducted several experiments on propagation of several landscape species using different methods: Propagation of serviceberry by layering; Propagation of chokecherry by layering; Propagation of Gambel oak by layering; Propagation of wild singleleaf ash by budding; Propagation of Gambel oak by budding; and Comparison of soilless substrates for growing rooted bigtooth maple layers.  Some of the results have been presented at meetings.

At UC Riverside, the performance of ornamental native groundcovers under drought condition was evaluated. California has been in a drought for several years and some areas or the state have been under severe water restrictions.  Therefore, in our field trial of groundcovers, which has been established for five years, we ceased irrigation completely, since this reflects the conditions of some landscapes in various parts of the state.  Many California native plants are drought tolerant.  However, very little information is available regarding the degree of drought tolerance and how aesthetically acceptable these plants are in a given drought condition.  In our field trials we are evaluating two California native plant species, Salvia ‘Gracias’ and Coreathrogyne filaginifolia.  The outcomes of the summer trial have indicated total loss of Coreathrogyne filaginifolia.  However, Salvia ‘Gracias’ continues to thrive.

At UC Riverside, we are evaluating the nitrogen requirements of winter-growing vs. summer growing succulents native to different deserts of the world.  Commercial production of succulents and the use of drought-tolerant succulents have rapidly increased due to consumer interest in ‘water-wise’ plants.  We are studying succulents native to all warm coastal and inland deserts of the world, this includes plants native to deserts of the US, primarily the Mohave and Sonoran Deserts.  The objective of the study is to understand the fertility requirements of the crop, primarily nitrogen, since this element is the essential nutrient with the greatest requirement and most use in crop production.

In Idaho, the objective of the Idaho native plant research project is to develop and distribute new native plant products for use by the Idaho nursery industry. The research process is to collect native species in situ, evaluate plants for horticultural value in common gardens at the Aberdeen R & E Center, select seed from superior plant accessions, increase seed for distribution to industry, and assist industry in marketing activities. Approximately 3,040 plant collections, comprising 1,110 species have been collected and brought to the Aberdeen R & E Center for testing.  In 2015, on-going native plant domestication and commercialization activities were supported by a $14,000 grant from the Idaho State Department of Agriculture.

In Idaho, an extensive plant collection excursion was completed in July and August of 2015, involving multiple destinations in the Cabinet Mountains in Montana, Scotchman Peaks in Idaho, and the northern Cascades in Washington. Supported by the University of Idaho Stillinger Herbarium, the foray included collection of both live plants and dried, pressed specimens for the herbarium. Sixty-eight new accessions, in the form of cuttings and seeds, were obtained for the native plant domestication project.

In Idaho, for purposes of outreach and education, demonstration gardens showing the potential of native plants for landscape use were established and/or maintained at locations around Idaho. New gardens were initiated at the College of Southern Idaho in Twin Falls, Ross Park Zoo and Pocatello Charter School in Pocatello, Idaho State University in Pocatello, and Tautphaus Park Zoon in Idaho Falls. Species additions were made to gardens located at Sawtooth Botanical Garden in Hailey, Idaho Botanical Garden in Boise, University of Idaho Arboretum in Moscow, and Harriman State Park in Island Park. Additionally, detailed descriptions for 10 native plant species were published in the WERA-1013 web site. Weekly project activities were published for public distribution using Facebook. Tours of research plots and demonstration gardens at the Aberdeen R & E Center and the Native Roots, LLC (industry partner) seed production plots were conducted for students and the general public.

Nevada focused on educating master gardeners, green industry trainees, university students and the general public in appropriate use of native plants for conserving landscape water and reducing wildfire threat to homes. Generated interest and excitement about native plant landscaping by local nurseries and the general public. Plan in 2016 is to incorporate educational information on replacement of potentially invasive exotic plant species with native species to mitigate the potential for horticultural plant invasions.

Wyoming successfully completed the fourth season of All-America Display Garden on the University of Wyoming campus. Several perennial plants bred from natives were again featured including Echinacea purpurea ‘Powwow Wild Berry’ (2010 official AAS winner), Echinacea hybrida ‘Cheyenne Spirit’ (2013 AAS winner), Gaillardia aristata ‘Arizona Apricot’ (2011 winner), and Gaillardia ‘Mesa Yellow’ (2010 winner), Gaura lindheimeri ‘Sparkle White’ (2014 winner), and Penstemon hartwegii ‘Arabesque’ (2014 winner). ‘Powwow Wild Berry’ has proven to be very hardy, most of the plants having survived through three winters. About half of the ‘Cheyenne Spirit’ did not survive the winter of 2014-2015. Both Gaillardia cultivars have shown excellent winter hardiness as well as summer bloom. As expected and reported last year, ‘Sparkle White’ gaura and ‘Arabesque’ penstemon did not survive the 2014-2015 winter. They are both rated to USDA Hardiness Zone 6; Laramie is 4 (AAS makes the plant selections each year, we do not get to choose).

The WERA1013 Intermountain Native Plants web site is still hosted by the University of Wyoming. Our webmaster, Ann Tanaka, has revamped the site and we continue to add and update material as needed. The site can be found at http://www.wyoextension.org/westernnativeplants/.

In Texas, preference of 22 crapemyrtle cultivars by crapemyrtle bark scale in landscape was evaluated and a poster titled “Discovery and spread of Eriococcus lagerstroemiae Kuwana (Hemiptera: Eriococcidae), a new invasive pest of crape myrtle, Lagerstroemia spp. ” was presented at Entomology Society of America annual conference.

Texas continued research project on salt tolerance for a number of ornamental species. These species are butterfly blue (Scabiosa columbaria ‘Butterfly Blue’), cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis), eastern red columbine (Aquilegia canadensis), mexican false heather (Cuphea hyssopifolia), mexican hummingbird bush (Dicliptera suberecta), rock rose (Pavonia lasiopetala), ‘Dark knight’ bluebeard (Caryopteris × clandonensis ‘Dark Knight’), flame acanthus (Anisacanthus quadrifidus var. Wrightii), and orange peel jessamine (Cestrum ‘Orange Peel’). Results showed that orange peel jessamine and mexican hummingbird bush were the most salt-tolerant, followed by flame acanthus, rock rose, and ‘Dark knight’ bluebeard. Butterfly blue, mexican false heather, and cardinal flower were moderately salt sensitive, while eastern red columbine was the most salt sensitive among the species investigated.

Plant Select® is a program with the goal to create smart plant choices for a New American Landscape inspired by the Rocky Mountain Region.  It is the country’s leading source of plants designed to thrive in high plains and intermountain region.  It is a non-profit collaboration of Colorado State University, Denver Botanic Gardens and horticulturists from around the world.

In 2015, Plant Select® introduced three new plants and recommended four.  Also, three plants were recommended in the Plant Select® Petite program.  The three introductions included a hybrid penstemon – Penstemon x ’Coral Baby’ (Coral Baby penstemon); a hybrid salvia – Salvia darcyi x Salvia microphylla called Windwalker® royal red salvia and a big bluestem grass called Andropogon gerardii ‘PWIN01S’ - Windwalker® big bluestem.

Numerous seeds were collected on Plant Select® sponsored trips to Kazakhstan in 2010.  In 2015 19 were planted in our evaluation plots.  In 2014-15, 17 taxa were evaluated by industry and professionals and a few have been chosen for introduction into Plant Select® program in 2016 and 2017.

Numerous presentations and poster papers concerning Plant Select® plants were given throughout 2015 at National Science meetings, industry groups throughout the nation and especially in the Rocky Mountain Region.  The presentations included references to WERA 1013 and discussed other WERA 1013 members.

Short-term outcomes

The research and presentations continue to raise awareness of native plants for as an alternative for low-water landscaping.  We are seeing requests from consumers for native plant material that is not available in the nursery trade. 

In Idaho, to date, one-hundred ninety-six accessions of native plants with commercial potential have been identified and established in seed increase blocks. One hundred-ten of these accessions have been transferred to Native Roots, LLC for commercial-scale seed production and sale. Thirty-six plant products are now in commerce. Native Roots, LLC has created partnerships with production, wholesale, and retail nurseries in several Rocky Mountain States.

Public education has been a second emphasis of the program in Idaho. As a result to educational programming, information delivered through web sites, workshops, and conferences, citizens of Idaho have a greater awareness of the need to conserve water and information on the use of drought tolerant plants to accomplish this need.

In Nevada, four of the five nurseries in the Reno area are now selling a variety of native species due to public demand and the native plant educational efforts are expanded to include the Lake Tahoe Basin residential area.

University of Wyoming campus, since the AAS garden is in an open area, there is virtually no way to track the number of visitors in 2015. A conservative estimate would easily be 2,000 individuals. It is in a heavily-used corner of campus on the west side of the UW administration building, Old Main. Short-term impacts include increasing the awareness of those who study the display garden during the summer growing season. Clientele, including private citizens as well as growers and retailers, have learned about the AAS program in general, our location in particular, and the new cultivars of perennial native plants available specifically. They also learned how many of these perform in Laramie’s high altitude growing season.

The web site for WERA1013 garnered 10,843 pageviews during FY 2015, which was double the number from FY 2014 (5,328). Of that number 8,903 were unique pageviews, up from 4,276 during FY 2014. The Plant List page was visited most (9% of the total) with Penstemon pinifolius the specific plant getting the most hits (6%). The same plant was top in FY 2014 as well.

The evaluation of Salvia ‘Gracias’ and Coreathrogyne filaginifolia has been done for the past five years.  However, Coreathrogyne filaginifolia did senesce in the trial.  Salvia ‘Gracias’ has proven to be quite adaptable, aesthetically acceptable, and actually thriving with no summer irrigation.  Overall this trial has been part of the ‘Turf and Landscape Field Day’ at our Agricultural Experiment Station in Riverside, CA. which usually has an attendance of over 200 people from the professions of landscape management, commercial plant production, water agencies, and universities.

In the project of the temporal aspects of nutrient uptake of winter-growing vs. summer-growing succulents in UC Riverside, working relationship with growers has been established.  It is our hope to develop and extend knowledge from this study to the expanding industry of succulent growers.  More specifically, we hope our research will improve fertilization practices so that crop production and landscape use of desert native is optimized while mitigating the potential for fertilizer runoff into our environments.

In 2015, more than 2.4 million Plant Select® plants were sold and all grown from grower members of Plant Select®.  Most of these growers are located in the Rocky Mountain and Intermountain Region of the United States.  The plants were purchased by garden centers, landscape contractors and landscape management personnel along with homeowners and gardening public.  This resulted in the gardening public and professionals being more successful in creating landscapes that are more sustainable and many more satisfied gardeners.  There are also Plant Select® demonstration gardens in Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Utah and Wyoming reporting back to Plant Select® on their performance in many different areas.

Public education continued to be a major emphasis in 2015 along with promoting the new Plant Select® brand – “Plant Select® - Plant Smarter”.  Tours of Plant Select® demonstration gardens were held throughout the 2015 growing season.

Outputs

Utah State University research team is in the process of releasing two selections of native plant material.  Accession USU-ACGR-1005 will be released as Acer grandidentatum ‘Alice’ or bigtooth maple ‘Alice’.  It is distinguished by red fall color (though somewhat inconsistent) and a slower, tighter growing habit that distinguishes it from some of the faster, ranker growing native maple selections.  Its’ ideal application will be as a small urban patio tree.  Accession USU-CELE-1003 will be released as Cercocarpus ledifolius ‘Hoodoo’ or littleleaf mountain mahogany ‘Hoodoo.  It is distinguished by small leaf size and columnar form.  Its’ ideal application will be as a water conserving broadleaf evergreen specimen with a strong vertical orientation.

Drought tolerant plant materials are developed and distributed via a partnership agreement with the Native Roots, LLC. Extension programming including a web presence and personal contributions to workshops and conferences aimed at education on topics related to water-conserving landscape practices.

Cultural information was collected for Shepherdia x utahensis planted in Nevada demonstration garden. We observed that this hybrid of Shepherdia rotundifolia and Shepherdia argentea does not tolerate excessive root-zone moisture as evidenced by shortened stature and increased susceptibility to disease pressure with increasing soil-moisture levels.

We continue to update and add information to the web site for this project (http://www.wyoextension.org/westernnativeplants/).

The major output of UC Riverside program has been to show people how to use native plants in landscapes and how to commercially grow native plants with minimal impact to the environment.  Hands-on demonstrations and field days have been an important and essential part of these extension programs.

Colorado team is recommending and producing many drought tolerant plants.  Many of these plants are native to the Rocky Mountain and Inter Mountain Region.  Other inputs include our web presence which was greatly enhanced and expanded in 2015 to be more user friendly.  Additional YouTube videos were also produced about more native Plant Select® plants along with additional marketing on various social media.

Activities

In Utah State University, following are the activities: 1) editing a new publication entitled “Combinations for Conservation” that will provide information about combinations of native and other plant material for attractive, water-wise landscapes that are compatible with each other. 2) Worked on a special project with a Masters student on controlling intermittent mist propagation for native plant production. 3) Continuing collaboration with the USU Botanical Center to identify, propagate, and release native plants for use in the landscape industry. 4) Recertified the Northern Utah Qualified Water Efficient Landscaper certification program and continued with workshops on a periodic basis.

Native plant domestication uses methods developed specifically for this purpose: collection from wild populations, field establishment, evaluation, selection, and improvement using bulk selection. Extension activities include instruction for professionals and the general public on topics related to native plant landscaping and water-conserving design.

The AAS Display Garden was discussed at the Laramie Research and Extension Center Field Day on August 27.

In Nevada, master gardeners were educated on propagation techniques for growing a variety of native plants from seed. Featured and sold five different native plant species (~400 plants) at the annual master gardener plant sale. Updated the native plant grower list at our WERA 1013 website http://www.wyoextension.org/westernnativeplants/

The research activities at UC Riverside involve determining the degree of drought tolerance of native plants which is aesthetically acceptable to the public.  The extension activities associated with these programs are conducting hands-on displays and field demonstrations for the public and agricultural sectors.  In addition, activities include visiting commercial growers, sharing the information we have gained with them.

Presentations about more adaptable and xeric native plants were given at ProGreen Conference & Expo in Denver in 2015.  Also, presentations about Plant Select® in Idaho, Cultivate 15, Garden Writers of America and American Society for Horticultural Science annual conference.

Milestones

Utah State University initiated the Utah Public Garden Network as a cooperative group of public gardens in Utah to provide mutual support, further exposure to the public, and help insure that all gardens provide uniform messages on issues such as landscape water conservation.  See: http://www.utahpublicgardens.org/

In Idaho, 1) in the spring of 2015, 36 native plant products developed through the native plant domestication project were transferred to an industry partner. 2) Public outreach for delivering native plant utilization information now includes annual field days, demonstration gardens, instructional publications, workshops and conferences, and a web presence (including detailed native plant descriptions posted on the WERA-1013 web site).

The next milestone for the AAS Display Garden is planning and carrying out the 2016 version. At least one undergraduate student will be hired to assist in seeding and transplanting duties, as well as general care during the growing season.

UC Riverside team have successfully demonstrated the use of two native groundcovers in landscapes and have shown how these plants can be successfully used in the typical landscape situation.  We have also developed a working relationship with growers of native plants, relaying information on success or failure of native plant species in our trials.

In 2015, Colorado launched our major branding and marketing about Plant Select® to the gardening public.  There was a major launch in the gardening press and on social media.  We are also working on a new book to be published in 2017 to mark our 20th anniversary.  A lot of the dollars for the new marketing campaign have been made available through several Specialty Crop Grants.

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