It had to come. We wish it hadn’t. But there’s one in every crowd. Last month we wrote of testing new shrubs from the Proven Winners stable. Blue Chip Buddleia, Blue Chiffon Hibiscus, Let’s Dance Moonlight Hydrangea and Lilac Bloomerang all proved impressive, survived under harsh conditions and, over a year, appeared reliable. Just the thing for the average homeowner, you’d think.
Not for one, Kim Dooley Freeman of Pointe Claire, Quebec, however. Following Maclean’s having the audacity to focus in particular on Syringa ‘Bloomerang,’ Freeman wrote to the popular weekly claiming these offerings to be “Frankenflowers.”
Yes, folks – that’s right: Frankenflowers. “Botanical parlour games in the service of crass commercialization is an abomination,” claims Freeman. “One of the most significant lessons I have learned as a gardener is that gardening is a process, not a product.”
Abject apologies and all that, but presumably she derives her designation from “Frankenfoods,” the term dreamed up by rabid Brit environmentalists to scare the public off food from the genetically engineered crops that Canadians have enjoyed for years.
Proven Winners use essentially the same techniques as were used 10,000 years ago for selecting new crop varieties and perhaps over 3,000 years for ornamentals.
The only offerings of genetically engineered ornamentals are two ‘blue’ roses in Japan and Australia. They have not been an overwhelming success.
One of the most significant lessons we have learned as a professional garden communicator is to refrain from telling people what not to grow. Gardening is a very personal experience. What some enjoy will not appeal to others. Sound advice is always welcome; served up by fanatics it is not.
Thankfully those propounded by Kim Dooley Freeman can be consigned to the composter. The gardening world will continue to evolve without her.
Wes Porter is a horticultural consultant and writer based in Toronto. Wes has over 40 years of experience in both temperate and tropical horticulture from three continents.
