New to me in the last year or so was A. stricta 'Variegata Multicolor.' The jury is, frankly, still out on this one. In full sun it is supposed to have leaves splashed with cream to pink tones. In frustration, I finally put my one little specimen out in the fullest sun I could find and did get a bit of yellowing on the leaves. Not exactly stunning. Maybe this won't work as a potted specimen in cold climates. Any of you in a desert with experience or suggestions?

A little plant with a confusing name is A.megalacantha 'Nana Variegata.' This appears identical to what is also offered under the name A. potatorum vershafeltii 'Minima Mediopicta Alba.' The plant forms a 3-4" rosette with beautiful wide blue leaves with a center striped pale white. Gentry states that Megalacantha is an invalid name for Guadalajarana and does not recognize the variety Verschafeltii as being distinct from Potatorum. To complicate it further Guadalajarana and Potatorum are not even in the same group within the genus. Several cultivars have come from Japan and are evidently best associated here. A. p. (hybrid?) 'Kichijokan Marginata' is a 8-12" rosette of wide blue gray leaves with very dark, large teeth and terminal spines accentuated with creamy yellow edges.

The last variegated Agave in the collection is attributed as A. celsii, but may be a new unnamed species. This has pale green leaves with tiny teeth and there is a lime margin. As a small plant this was not too impressive, but I note this winter that, with age, the variegation appears more noticeable. This might be nice when it gets to be a mature specimen.

Now all of you collectors out there, can you tell me where to find the following that have been reported to exist: A. aurea 'Marginata', A. filifera 'Albo Marginata', A. macrocantha 'Mediopicta Aurea', A. parryii 'Mediopicta Alba', A. tequilana 'Variegata', A. titonata 'Variegata', A. utahensis 'Marginata', and A. victoriae- reginae 'Mediopicta Alba.' Are there others you could add to the list?

Having finished with the Agaves, I am drawn to write a word or two about Aloes and Furcreas. I have two variegated Furcreas. Furcrea gigantea 'Variegata' or more properly 'Striata' is an upright rosette of blue green leaves liberally striped with cream. I have a pup which could almost be called 'Mediopicta Alba', but don't know if the pattern of variegation will hold true as the plant grows. My plant of F. selloa 'Marginata' came from the Huntington. In a pot the plant could almost pass as A. angustifolia. The parent plant at Huntington was a magnificent thing 8 or 9 feet tall and as wide.

I have a number of variegated Aloes and find none of them as distinct in variegation as the Agaves, but several are nice and I suppose the incurable collector would not want to be without any of them. Aloe eru 'Variegata' is a robust grower with a basic blue green color and lots of ivory striations. Another robust grower is A. arborescens 'Variegata', with a basic green color with ivory (pale yellow) striations. Occasionally a leaf will be bordered on one or both sides. A third strong grower with a variegation similar to the above is A. saponaria 'Variegata.'

The next Aloes are all smaller and would be happy for most of their life in a 4" pot. A. nobilis 'Variegata' is a dark green plant with yellow borders and striations. A. brevifolia depressa 'Variegata' is a blue green plant with ivory variegation. The variegation ranges from streaks to edges to leaves that may be half ivory and half blue green. For some reason this plant has never flourished in my collection. A. 'Hummel Hybrid Variegata' is basically a green plant with so many yellow striations that the plant appears yellow green. The variegation in A. mitiformis 'Variegata' consists of a few, faint yellow streaks in a dark green leaf. A. aristata 'Variegata is a very compact plant with green leaves evenly streaked with white, giving the appearance of a gray plant.

The genus Aloe is a haven for the growers of "Anything but Green" as the basic bodies of many of these plants are wonderful shades of blue green, mahogany, and other colors. In addition many have bands and dots of contrasting color. I have only a few species, but am impressed with the potential. I will comment on just two. A. mcloughlinii is a green plant with yellowish spots, but at least half, and in many cases three quarters, of the leaf tip is void of chlorophyll making a very distinctive plant. A. striata could best be called a jade color. The tissue on the edges of the leaves thins out and is void of chlorophyll giving a tan band to each leaf. Furthermore, the band becomes pinkish in drought or cool. I know there are many Aloe collectors in California perhaps they could be persuaded to give us their opinions on the gems of the genus.

One of the most exciting aspects of variegated plants is 'the find'. How many of us have caused wrecks slamming on the brakes to examine a plant with bird poop on it? The fact of the matter is that we are more likely to see sports in cultivation than in the wild due to stress and sheer numbers of plants. Let's leave this area open to new finds. Send info on what the plant sported from (seed, offshoot, etc) and some details. Some day we will be able to print a picture. Do send articles for the VPEG news (preferably on IBM disk) and write in with ideas!) thanks ...Dan

(NONE SUBMITTED) If you have more info on these elusive gems please contact the editor.

We are trying to standardize Variegated Abbr.'s according to Hirose/Yokoi standards as follows on page 9: Alb= Albino Aur= Aurea Bd= Banded Bl= Blotched BM= Boldly Margined C= Centered IM= Irregularly Margined Mg= Margined Mot= Mottled Spl= Splashed St= Striped Tmg= Thinly Margined Tp= Tipped V= Variegated B=Blue G= Grey Gn= Green P= Purple Pk= Pink R= Red Tg= Tinged W= White Y= Yellow YW= Yellow-White b= Bud fl= Flower lvs= Leaves

An example might be: Hosta ventricosa aureo-marginata, lvs Gr, BM YW.

>From Hirose/Yokoi "Variegated Plants"

Articles, articles, articles. Barry, how about one on Japanese name conventions with variegated plants? Rohdeas? Henry, variegates at Gardenview? Gary, Variegated news at the Arnold? Tony, variegated shrubs? Dave, variegated palms? Norm or Bob, NEW variegated grasses? one little bit of Ophiopogon p.'Nig' var.? (NO RESPONSES)

Mr. Douglas Dawson of Cambridge, England has had a list of several thousand variegated cultivars that has been sold in England for years at œ7. Mr. Dawson has been compiling this master list for years. When I called him about acquiring the list he said that it is currently being 'put into the computer' which is great news. So often these invaluable documents are fourth-generation photocopies of bad Royal-typewritten pages.

As you may know, Nancy Ondra (bless this woman!) has been compiling the ABG list of variegates. Nancy and I have agreed to cooperate with Mr. Dawson to pull together the "MASTER LIST" and offer it through Mr. Dawson or over here on disk or on hard copy. The advantage to offering the database on disk would be cheap to send, easy to reproduce, and allow the owner to search the database for a particular plant.

I look forward to meeting Mr. Dawson this July in Cambridge and plan to tour the variegated plant collection in Oxford at that time. Cheers! Pulmonaria in America By Dan Heims

Relegated to grandma's shade garden for too many years, Pulmonaria are beginning to have a resurgence in popularity. Pest resistant, SLUG- resistant, hardy and attractive are all traits assigned to this genus. Newer forms, especially those derived from Pulmonaria villarsae have shown tremendous mildew resistance, a bane to older forms. Natives of shady woods and scrublands from Siberia to Italy, these plants are often the harbinger of spring. I've seen glorious photographs of orchards in France where the plants have naturalized. Wall to wall carpets of cobalt-blue Pulmonaria angustifolia reflecting the sky through the naked apple branches in March makes quite a show. The flowers range from salmon (Pulmonaria. 'Redstart') through raspberry (Pulmonaria 'Berries and Cream') to sky blue (Pulmonaria 'Roy Davidson'). An outstanding characteristic of most Pulmonaria is the fact that the flowers turn totally different shades as they age; pinks may fade to blues, wines to reds, or the reverse! Some, like Pulmonaria 'Sissinghurst White' and the coral 'Bowle's Red' hold their color for the whole blooming period.

The other exciting aspect of Pulmonaria is the foliage. Background colors may vary from apple-green through olive to an almost black-emerald. Brilliant silver spotting may run from lightly dusted to solid silver (Pulmonaria 'Excalibur' PP# 8958). Foliage shape is another variable. Leaves can be lanceolate (spear- shaped) like Pulmonaria 'E. Bertram Anderson' to oval as in Pulmonaria angustifolia azurea. The latter plant is one of the dwarves of the genus, rarely reaching 8" high. Plants like Pulmonaria longifolia var.. cevennensis can top out at 28" tall! One characteristic that I have added to my line is that of ruffled edges. This is seen in Pulmonaria 'Berries and Cream' and Pulmonaria 'Silver Streamers' I hope to patent the latter in 1996.

Hosta and Pulmonaria will share the same domain. Cool, shady spots are ideal. Pulmonaria longifolia forms are more sun-tolerant, but all wilt badly in the full sun. These will resurrect quickly once the day cools. Pulmonaria loves a well composted soil and will live in nearly any soil except sticky clay. Fertilization requirements are minimal. I use approx. 2 tsp. of a slow release fertilizer (Osmocote, Sierra-Blend) once a season after the plants have flowered. Plants in containers can live with less. Pulmonaria are one of the few plants in the garden which suffer from virtually no pests. Cutworms may occasionally attack and aphids may be troublesome in the greenhouse but are rarely a problem outside. Viruses are rarely seen and I've yet to see leaf- nematodes cause trouble. Mildew is a definite concern for the older forms of Pulmonaria and one should try to keep these plants in an open, airy position with no night-time or overhead watering. Propagation of Pulmonaria is quite easy. Divisions can be made in late spring and root cuttings can be made over the winter months. Seed is variable in outcome, but is very large and easy to germinate. The most difficult part is in the collection of fresh seed. Looking into the calyx after the flower has dropped off, you will see the single seed developing. Over the next few weeks the seed will change from white to black and will detach with the slightest breeze and disappear unless you construct a collection facility of some sort. Most gardeners let nature take its course and find many delightful seedlings about the garden. Bumble bees and honeybees are rabid pollinators which I have watched flitting from one specie to the other. This opens the possibilities of some wonderful natural crosses. I have set up many crosses in the greenhouse between Pulmonaria villarsae, Pulmonaria saccharata, Pulmonaria longifolia, Pulmonaria angustifolia, and Pulmonaria rubra. Most bloom simultaneously however I have had to take pollen of the earlybirds on black pipe-cleaners and store them in film cans in my freezer until others bloom. Crosses need to be made several times during the day for best fertilization. Remember that unless you are very lucky, it takes hundreds or thousands of seedlings and years of testing to come up with an introducible plant.

While Pulmonaria are often seen as individual specimens, they are best planted en masse. The effect of a clump of pure-silver Pulmonaria Excalibur 2'x5' long is positively illuminating. Leave it to the English and Canadians to blend the Pulmonaria artistically with Japanese Painted Fern, Foliage Heuchera, and Ophiopogon. One planting at Chanticleer in Pennsylvania featured only the dark wine foliage of Heuchera 'Chocolate Veil' and the Pulmonaria 'Excalibur' in a sumptuous tapestry of counterpoint. Pulmonaria do well in large containers but cannot be used in small ones as they resent drying out. While the British Plant Finder lists 75 varieties of Pulmonaria in their '94-'95 edition, we in America can only commonly find the following varieties; >p> Pulmonaria 'Mrs. Moon' -applied to many spotted forms. Mildew-prone. Fair flowers. Mediocre to good silver in the spotting, compact shape.

Pulmonaria rubra 'Redstart'- a very good, almost overvigorous grower with large salmon bells. No spotting.

Pulmonaria rubra 'Bowle's Red'- similar to the above. Foliage is muddy green with faint spotting.

Pulmonaria longifolia 'E. Bertram Anderson'- small cobalt bells held tightly together over delicious dark green strap leaves. Brightly silver spotted. Looks poor at the end of blooming with a floppy form.

Pulmonaria 'Roy Davidson'- A child of the above with broader leaves. More spotting and light blue flowers which fade to pink. Lovely form.

Pulmonaria angustifolia azurea- Extremely early cobalt flowers make a wonderful foil for Narcissus. Leaves are unspotted and compact.

Pulmonaria villarsae 'Margery Fish'- Large flowers, early, no mildew, vigorous. Large leaves, well spotted. A superior plant and my main breeder. Large flowers.

The following Terra-Nova cultivars and introductions from other growers are entering the American scene:

Pulmonaria villarsae 'Excalibur' PP#8958- Striking silver leaves edged in emerald green. Large flowers range from pink to blue. Outstanding vigor and mildew resistance. Patented form.

Pulmonaria 'Spilled Milk' -Compact foliage is 'splashed' with silvery milk. Mildew resistant, robust. Flowers are borne tightly on compact stalks. Blue flowers fade to pink.

Pulmonaria 'Little Star' -( Pulmonaria longifolia 'Bertram Anderson' x Pulmonaria angustifolia) This cross yielded a plant with fuzzy, lance-shaped leaves. Unusual silver spotting and magnificent, large cobalt blue blooms in profusion. Ours bloomed for several months.

Pulmonaria 'Milky Way'- Our largest, with well spotted, lance-shaped leaves. Wine-colored blooms.

Pulmonaria 'Regal Ruffles'- A breakthrough on several fronts; first, it has ruffled flowers, secondly, the clasping vestigial leaves of the stalk form a halo around the flower cluster. The plant is compact and well silvered.

Pulmonaria 'Baby Blue'- another unique form with bright silvering intensifying toward the tips and profuse sky-blue flowers of good size. The baby- blue flowers fade to pink.

Pulmonaria 'Berries and Cream'- The first of our crosses with Pulmonaria. rubra. Unique flower color of raspberry and most remarkable; light ruffling along the edge. Compact form.

Pulmonaria 'David Ward' - from Beth Chatto's nursery in England comes this first variegated form named after her propagator, David Ward. Mint -green leaves bordered in white support salmon pink blooms in earliest spring. Occasional all-green or all-white leaves pop-up, but this plant is a certified knock- out

Pulmonaria 'Silver Streamers' PPAF- Brilliant, pure silver lance-shaped leaves, uniquely stippled and ruffled along the entire border puts this Pulmonaria in a class by itself. Will not be released till '96.

Pulmonaria longifolia var. cevennensis- Some species can't be improved. Fabulous lance shaped leaves, up to 28" long are produced in profusion. Leaves are well silvered and the blooms are more like Pulmonaria saccharata than Pulmonaria. longifolia.

Pulmonaria 'British Sterling' PPAF This is a good silver, more textured and wavy than P. Excalibur which it resembles outwardly but is from P. saccharata blood. A clone from Henry Ross of Gardenview.

Pulmonaria 'Pierre's Pure Pink'- a new spotted pink in commerce. From Pierre Brennerup of Sunny Border Nursery.

What does the future hold for Pulmonaria? Communications with the likes of Vanessa Cook of Stillingfleet Nurseries (who holds the national Pulmonaria collection) have been fruitful in providing information on a plethora of species that may hold the blood for generations to come. Meanwhile, watch your seedlings, grow them for several years (three is best) and if you come up with something unique, we'd love to see it.

A note to newsletter writers . . . The ABG newsletter's objective is to supply information to as many people as possible. Unless stated otherwise, feel free to extract all or part of the information in the ABG newsletter. Give the authors their due. That's all we ask.

Contemporary artist and poet, Jenny Holzer is working on what is perhaps the world's first Anti-War Memorial in Nordhorn, Germany (near Dusseldorf) She is commissioned to create a black garden in tandem with the memorial. Her request for black materials led me to the mailbox of Carol LaBranche 1947 W. Schiller, Chicago, IL 60622. Carol has, for the benefit of a future publication, compiled a 35 page list of plants with black or brown foliage or flowers. She has requested that those interested may contact her on an individual basis.