Malus 'Adirondack' garners top awards

From http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/thelatest.htm
October 18, 2001
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A flowering crabapple called Adirondack, introduced by the U.S. National
Arboretum (www.ars-grin.gov/ars/Beltsville/na), has won a top award from the
Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. Adirondack was awarded the society's
2002 Gold Medal Plant Award. It's the latest of 16 Gold Medal winners
introduced by the 446-acre arboretum over the years.

Pennsylvania nurseryman J. Franklin Styer began the award program in that
state in 1978 to alert homeowners to superior new woody plants that they
might otherwise overlook. Since then, similar programs have spread to many
states, with Georgia being one of the first.

Adirondack is a near-perfect crabapple. It's a narrow, upright tree that
eventually reaches 18 to 20 feet, with excellent disease resistance and
abundant white flowers in spring. The fruits are small, orange-red and
persist into late autumn.

The late arboretum scientist Don Egolf developed most of the 16 winners,
including Adirondack, five viburnum varieties, and six crape myrtles. Egolf
began the arboretum's crape myrtle program in 1959. He also developed
Chickasaw and Pocomoke, two recent introductions and the first and second,
respectively, in a new series of miniature hybrid crape myrtles. Other
recent arboretum introductions include two disease-tolerant American elm
trees, Valley Forge and New Harmony; the Betsy Ross lilac; and two new red
maples, New World and Red Rocket.

Arboretum researchers are also developing new hemlock, alder and hackberry
varieties.

In honor of Egolf's work, the arboretum's Margaret R. Pooler has named her
newest release, a Chinese redbud, after him. The Don Egolf redbud will be
available in garden centers by 2003. Adirondack is already in commercial
nurseries.

And consumers can look for Star of Bethlehem varieties with new colors and
growth habits, thanks to arboretum researcher Robert J. Griesbach, who has
patent applications filed for the new varieties he is developing. Three Star
of Bethlehem varieties developed at the arboretum went on sale this past
spring: Chesapeake Blaze, Chesapeake Sunburst and Chesapeake Sunset.

The arboretum, based in Washington, D.C., is operated by the Agricultural
Research Service, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief scientific
research agency.

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Chris

http://www.hort.net/gallery/      2092 online plant photos and growing!

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