BRIDGING THE GAP BET WEEN TWO WORLDS
Despite the increasing shift from paper to electronic media distribution , which is totally at the mercy of the grid , much is still available through more than one medium . For example , The American Horticultural Society publishes both print and electronic versions of its magazine , The American Gardener .
“ We don ’ t really change much between digital and print editions ,” said David Ellis , AHS director of communications and the magazine ’ s editor . “( The website ) is usually more about adding extra information beyond what we have space for in print .”
Unlike hard copy , online resources can be readily updated with new information , disinformation , or be erased . You can easily delete a defunct nursery and add a new one , or update plant nomenclature , which changes with new taxonomy .
“ Keeping current is important for our audience ,” said Ellis , who notes that the magazine often lists both former and current plant names for continuity . “ When we use websites to check plant names , we want to make sure those sites are on the cutting edge of nomenclature .”
For native plants , Ellis recommends the USDA PLANTS site , which details native and nonnative plants and identifies plants that are potentially invasive in North America . For cultivated plants , The Royal Horticultural Society ’ s Plant Finder , based on both organizations ’ reliance on sci-entific research . “ Knowing that a professional is doing it in a professional and unbiased manner is important ,” he said .
“ Most of us trust the National Park Service and the EPA and their employees ,” Jentz said . “ But lately there seems to have been a shutdown of information . I haven ’ t gotten press releases from USDA Agricultural Research Services , which had the most relevant recent research coming out of the government .”
But that ’ s another story – look for it in On the QT ’ s August issue .
GWA member Nancy Taylor Robson lives on the rural Eastern Shore of Maryland , where wildlife both enhances and challenges gardening , as well as other aspects of life .
East coast setting for GWA gathering
The GWA regional meeting in the Boston area included a stop at the Eleanor Cabot Bradley Estate , where Region I members and guest were on their best behavior .
Region V gathers at Brenton Arboretum
PHOTO COURTESY KIRK R . BROWN
EDITOR ’ S NOTE : In mid-May , Norwegian government officials announced that the Svalbard seed vault had flooded , due to soaring temperatures in the Arctic at the end of the world ’ s hottest year ever recorded . That caused the permafrost to melt , and heavy rain to fall instead of the typically light snows . Although no seeds were lost , the world ’ s best-designed doomsday insurance plan is now threatened by climate change .
Attendees of the GWA Region V meeting June 2-3 begin a trek through the collections of the 141-acre Brenton Arboretum near Dallas Center , Iowa . The first GWA Region V meeting to be held in Central Iowa attracted 21 members and guests from 6 states : Iowa , Nebraska , Minnesota , South Dakota , Ohio , and Virginia . Visitors attended programs at The Brenton Arboretum and the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden .
PHOTO COURTESY DEB WILEY
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