|
As a person with a passion for horticulture, it is always a treat to
visit someone else's garden that shares that passion. Bert Hendley is
one who freely admits that his hobby has become his obsession. Mr. Hendley's
interest in plants started while he was a young boy growing up in North
Carolina. The gardener of the estate he lived on cultivated young Bert's
love of plants and taught him many things. Mr. Hendley and his wife, Susan,
now live on approximately three acres in the middle of Zanesville, Ohio.
It is an area that is extensively planted with a huge variety of plant
material.
|
| The plant collections lean to the rare and unusual. Although
the focus of our trip was the newly installed perennial garden, which was
designed by noted author and horticulturist, Tracy Disabato-Aust, I enjoyed
the woody plant collections better. Some of the special plants I noted were
a blue atlas cedar (Cedrus atlantica var. glauca) and southern
magnolias (Magnolia grandiflora). These are plants that typically
do not do well in our zone 5 area. There also were Stewartia pseudocamilla
and Franklinia alatamaha, which are two of my favorite small trees.
I asked Mr. Hendley if he had a favorite species and he replied that magnolias
were his favorite. In fact, Mr. Hendley had made an introduction of a southern
magnolia that he had discovered about ten miles south of Zanesville. My
guess is this is hoped to be a hardy form of this stately tree. His own
collection consists of five Magnolia grandiflora and twelve deciduous
magnolias. |
Students touring the glen at the residence
|
|
Ms. Mckelvey (with arms crossed) discusses the ivies
with
Mr. Bert Hendley (at right)
|
Mr. Hendley is an active member of the American Ivy Society
and this shows in his collection of ivies that are prevalent throughout
the grounds. There are 24 different species and/or cultivars that are grown
including a mature form of Hedera helix. I found this form to be
interesting because of its' growth as a small shrub. Most ivies are grown
as vines and don't show their mature foliage until they have reached a certain
height. This plant was unusual because of its' growth habit, which was about
a two and a half feet tall and wide. I asked Mr. Hendley how he had discovered
this plant. He and his wife had visited England as guests of the British
Ivy Society and the curator of the Oxford University Botanical Garden had
showed the plant to him. Ten years ago, he obtained his first plant through
the Longwood Gardens. The plants seem quite hardy here and require little
maintenance. They maintain their short rounded form without any pruning
or shearing. The plants have not experienced any die back and have a moderate
growth rate. Mr. Hendley estimated that their growth is about two inches
annually. They are grown on their own roots. This surprised me a bit, as
I thought that to obtain a mature form like this one would have required
grafting. |
| As we visited the gardens, Mr. Hendley showed us a sport
of an ivy that showed some beautiful variegation. I asked if he was considering
introducing this plant and he replied that it was under evaluation. I thought
it must be exciting to have plant introductions from ones own garden. But
of course, we now know that this was nothing new to Mr. Hendley. In fact,
along with his magnolia, he has made two ivy introductions. Still, I will
look for the ivy someday to be a named variety. |
| When I first heard of Bert Hendley, it was through an association with
the Dawes Arboretum in Newark. Mr. Hendley had generously donated plant
materials for propagation for the grounds collections. Because I believed
him to be a generous man, I was not surprised of his response when I asked
him what the future plans of the gardens were. He and his wife are establishing
two trust funds. One will be for the continued ownership and operation of
the gardens and one will be an endowment for horticultural education in
the area. What a wonderful legacy the Hendley's are leaving for future generations. |
Students like these will be able to see Mr. Hendley's
garden for years to come.
|