Arboretum & Botanical Garden Bulletin Board
Plant of the Month
Nordmann Fir
Abies nordmanniana
Location: Grid V7 above the tree peonies on the east slope and X4 north east corner.
I think the Nordmann Fir could be used as an example of a tree species that generally grows better in Moscow than species from the same genus that some would consider native here. Nordmann Fir are native to a fairly small geographic area in the Caucus Mountains in Turdy and Iran, east of the Black Sea. That is actually fairly close to our latitude, 43°N of the equator compared to our 46°N.
The species of Fir that would come the closest to being native here would be Grand Fir, Abies grandis. It is common on Moscow Mountain, especially in shadier, more protected exposures. Even on Moscow Mountain it is considered at the very edge of the natural range, becoming more common in areas with more precipitation. My experience in the Arboretum and observing around town is that they are not generally long lived at our elevation, although there are some very nice older specimens on the Ad lawn.
The three Nordmann Fir in the Arboretum were planted in 2002 from 1-gallon pots and are now all impressive specimens.
Monthly Projects
February seems to have come and gone with remarkably little weather drama. That has allowed us to do an unusual amount of winter outside work, which has mostly just reenforced my opinion that there is always more to do!
The primary focus has been on pruning and labeling. Most of the woody plants in the arboretum are labeled with credit card sized aluminum labels. When the trees or shrubs are small the labels are hung on branches at eye level on the north side of the plant. Eventually, there are no longer available branches, then the labels are screwed into the trunk with stainless steel screws. Both methods need to be adjusted periodically and ideally we try to get to all of them once a year.
It seems that we will be holding our annual plant sale this year! There have been issues with finding a suitable location and we have now settled on holding the sale outside the Facilities Greenhouse where most of the plants are grown. The sale will be 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, May 18.
Upcoming Events
Arboretum Associates Annual Meeting
1912 Center, Great Room, 412 E 3rd St.
7 p.m. Tuesday, April 16
Arboretum Associates Annual Plant Sale
Facilities Greenhous, 875 Perimeter Drive
10 a.m. to noon Saturday, May 18
When visiting the Arboretum, please remember that for your safety, the safety of others and for the protection of wildlife and plant collections, no pets are allowed. Ice on ponds is very unstable—stay off any ice.