INTRODUCING A NEW STAR AT NEWFS:

Stairway
to
Heaven

Finding a Stairway to Heaven- New Introduction of the New England Wild Flower Society

by William Cullina

CLICK HERE to see more "Stairway" pictures.

We raise tens of thousands of seedlings each year in the New England Wild Flower Society native plant nursery, and though most grow up to resemble their parents, once in a while I notice something a little different. Maybe it's a celandine poppy that is more compact than is typical, or a blue-eyed grass or blazing star flower that opens a different, yet pleasing hue. Most of these we pull aside and evaluate, and if we feel they are worth propagating, we give them a cultivar name and put them into production. Occasionally, a seedling emerges with variegated leaves (leaves that are patterned with white, yellow, light green, etc.). While a few species, such as the evergreen gingers, sport leaves that are typically variegated, it is a rare mutation among most plants and one that attracts gardeners with an eye for something different. These seedlings are easy to spot in the seed flat, though many of the variegated seedlings I put aside for evaluation revert back to all green after a year or two, or they lack vigor because so much of their leaf area lacks chlorophyll and thus cannot manufacture food for the plant. Occasionally, though, a chance seedling grows up to be something special.

In spring of 1999, I noticed a seedling in a flat of Polemonium reptans var. reptans (Spreading Jacob's Ladder) that had a creamy white band around each leaflet. I carefully potted it up, and though slow at first, as the season progressed it grew larger and more attractive by the week. When mature, each pinnate leaf, composed of around 11 leaflets arranged in two ranks like the rungs of a ladder, was a blend of white, pink, light, and dark green. After evaluating it for two more seasons to make sure the variegation didn't revert to green, I showed a slide of it at a nursery conference and the gasps and wows in the audience led me to consider naming and actually patenting the plant.

Patenting plants may seem like a strange concept, but it is very common nowadays in the industry. Though developed or selected, not invented, special plants are in a sense no different than a widget or new software program. In the past, NEWFS has introduced very popular garden plants such as Boltonia asteroides ‘Snowbank' (Snowbank False Aster), or Athyrium filix-femina ‘Lady in Red' (Red-stemmed Lady Fern) that are now grown and sold worldwide. NEWFS does not receive any money or any recognition for these plants, though such introductions do help natives gain popularity among gardeners. By patenting ‘Stairway to Heaven,' we will receive a small royalty for every plant sold – money that goes directly toward supporting the conservation efforts of the Society. Furthermore, a patent creates a much stronger association between a plant and the patent holder, meaning more press for the organization and our wider mission. Finally, though a variegated plant is certainly not a “wild” flower," it does carry in its genes the rugged constitution of wild Polemonium reptans which, unlike the widely cultivated but short-lived European species, Polemonium caeruleum , will not die after one spring in the garden. To a gardener, this difference neatly and succinctly demonstrates one of the benefits of natives – their ruggedness, adaptability, and suitability for our climate and soils.

We are very excited to introduce this new Jacob's ladder into the trade. Sunny Border Nurseries in Kensington, Connecticut, is tissue culturing and distributing it by the tens of thousands, so look for it in garden centers by summer, 2004! Limited quantities may also be available at the Society's Annual Plant Sale in Framingham and at the native nurseries of the Society.