The traditional concept of the selection of traits is the foundation of Heronswood’s new product development. It has been thus in all of horticulture for thousands of years. Later on, these characteristics were discovered by Mendel to be controlled by genes. In the industry this is called also plant improvement, or plant breeding.

While it is still possible to collect wild plants and sell them, it’s not wise to do so for many reasons including that it is morally wrong to plunder fragile or rare natural environments. It is more effective, as well as correct, to sample from the wild and use intelligence and creativity to coax out of the specimen the inherited potential to be showy and productive in the garden, rather than merely exotic or rare.

A great example of the environmental problems associated with collecting in the wild is the orchid business when—before embryo culture—it was common for collectors to accumulate large populations of wild plants, in some cases jeopardizing the survival of a species.  With the advent of improved laboratory technologies such as embryo culture, whereby endangered orchid seeds can be successfully propagated, the world has seen a two-fold benefit.  First, orchid collectors stopped harming the wild environments and second, specialists began propagating and selling an enormous range of hitherto unavailable species. 

The four major steps of plant selection at Heronswood are:

1) “Choice of the subject plant”, i.e., Hellebore, Geranium, Epimedium, Begonia, Arisaema.  This first step is extremely important because it establishes your productivity more than any other step.  It’s the first turn in a long journey.  One of the reasons the Japanese are such great plant breeders is their emphasis on planning before taking a turn, or making a decision. They’re world famous for the excellence of their observational skills, organizational techniques and patience.  Selecting or making the decision of a target requires much research and preparation. There are 3 questions involved in this step. First, “Why?”  Does the subject possess intrinsic beauty?  Hardiness?  Is it rare?  It’s important to be conscious of the reason and purpose for the hunt.  Second is “Who wants it”?  In other words, who agrees with you?  Northerners?  Southerners?  Both?  Container gardens?  Outdoor gardens?  Both?  The third question is “What is the likelihood of success?”  These three questions require answers before you begin. 

2) “Collecting”:  Collecting is the most time consuming part, since unique plants never present themselves. You have to seek them out, wherever they are, be it in the wild, far-flung nurseries, or collectors’ gardens around the world.  This takes a lot of time, travel and hard, complicated work. These challenges underscore the importance of planning.

When I lived in Costa Rica at various times between 1967 and 1982 with Claude Hope, the great impatiens breeder, I used to go “plant hunting” with him.  Claude was in his 50s when we first took these trips together and we still collected when he was in his late 70s.  He was a gifted horticulturist and plant breeder who was sent down to Costa Rica in 1942 to grow quinine for the Army to create malaria medicine out of it and send it to the Philippines.  No sooner had Claude established a plantation of Cinchona trees, when the Army called him home because the Germans had synthesized the drug in the lab, and then it was just a matter of espionage.  But he loved the virtually perfect Costa Rican weather and the traditional society that reminded him of his childhood in rural West Texas, so he stayed and created Linda Vista, a 75 acre complex of glass and hoop houses on over 400 acres of farmland in the high Cartago Valley.

Claude was the most pragmatic and detail oriented person I ever met.  He was a “particularizer”.  He was also biblical in his frugality.  For example, on my first morning, he required me to use the water in which I had boiled our eggs for the coffee water, which I strained through a rag pouch hanging from a frame made of coat hanger wire.  The reason for the water routine was because of the cost of energy in rural Costa Rica at the time.  However, I was astounded when he first instructed me, with some consternation, to do this. 

His approach to plant exploration was similar.  I am frequently asked about my trips with Claude by folks who eagerly anticipate the usual “Indiana Jones” narrative that has become a staple of those on the plant guru circuit.   Sorry! Because over the course of 2 ½ years and over 20 plant hunting expeditions, there were perhaps two that I remember when Claude and I went into the deep jungle, and that was only because there were university professors visiting from the US.  They expected to see the jungle and we showed it to them, with me leading the way with a machete.  At fifteen, I found it exciting and fun once, but the second time, when we went into the lowlands it was just lots of heat, humidity, bugs and snakes.  Claude was noticeably bored during these two trips, in contrast to the delight of the visitors.  One wore a pith helmet, which amused everyone back at the farm.

However, the 20 other collection trips we took consisted of me driving Claude to most of the known trash dumps in Costa Rica at the time.  There was no directory or yellow pages.  But Claude knew the country very well.  Costa Rica has a tiny population, while its thickly grown jungles are enormous.  The environment recovers very fast.  So there are many small dumps carved out of the wilds.

Often, in his tiny pick-up truck, Claude and I used to be able to drive along paths skirting the trash dumps so that we could explore without getting out of the car, which Claude appreciated as he got up in years.  I would have to brake every 5 minutes or so while he scanned the trackside and jungle borders like a human telescope.  This would go on for hours.  It was, actually, quite unusual and in its own way more exotic than penetrating dense bush with a machete.

We were looking for variations.  In particular, variations of herbaceous tropical plants that would have crept out of the jungle towards the light created by the utterly strange dome of sky above the dump.  Like antelopes gathering at a watering hole.

The dumps were always in the middle of nowhere. I had to do a lot of driving in order to hit them all.  But the point about variation is that we might find something that had never been seen before, or more likely a subtle variation that no one had ever spotted, close to the site of a smelly trash dump.  These are vivid and amusing memories because of their surrealistic quality.  When we saw something special, we would climb out of the car and pick our way over the garbage to get to a lovely little flower.
 
3)  “Observe.” Observation is a talent that one either has in great quantity, or not.  It is, in a sense, a naturally occurring variation but, in this case, of a human trait.  I am not speaking of normal observational aptitude, but of a true talent, much as one would describe musical or mathematical ability. It’s a question of threshold.  You know when you or another person has it or not.

My best observation story is that of my favorite median strip. As in so much plant collecting, “strip collecting” has already been done for many years. However, it illustrates both the variation expressed in plants as well as the development of skill that can be acquired by observing them.  It’s a good idea to find a median strip that is in a hilly area and wide enough to sustain large, variable populations.  It’s a good idea to be careful about stopping and parking because laws are strict about this sort of thing.  (You come up with your own story to tell the cops if they catch you looking at a flower.)  I like the strip between Cincinnati and Indianapolis, which though certainly hilly in some areas, is “fat” the whole way, and variable enough to offer a fascinating show.  I drive along with one eye on the road and another on the strip plants, scanning them like Claude taught me to do. As soon as you see a remarkable variation, which might take 20 or 30 minutes going 60 mph, you have to mark it mentally with your rate of speed, so that you can back-up and be about right on the spot.  There are some great roads in Pennsylvania and Michigan as well, with excellent median strips.  Most of the plants are wild carrot, blue chicory and other familiar flowers.

4) “Select” – This final step consists of a bunch of decisions.  As you can imagine, this is the hardest step.  The main reason it’s so difficult is because it involves leaving the losers behind. This is a tough thing to do when you have spent a long time with the plants during the previous three steps. However, it’s extremely important to say good-bye, so to speak.  A certain toughness is essential to success in Step Four.  I see this in all great plant breeders.  They may do other things wrong, but they never fall in love with their plants.  If you do, it will cause unnecessary heartache.  It’s essential never to compromise in plant breeding.  Always keep the goal in mind.

In any case, every great original plant introduction—and all here at Heronswood—is a result of this four-step process.  Conversely, a mediocre or poor introduction usually results from missing or failing to complete one or more steps.  There is no luck involved.  Luck is, as the ancients say, a gift.