From the Editor

Here in Idaho today it's a sunny, balmy -7 °C (19 °F). Not exactly springtime weather, and not exactly weather to get me fired up about spring. Fortunately, this issue of Native Plants Journal, the first produced by our new partner, University of Wisconsin Press, has some great articles that are changing my mood from blue to green.

I like this issue because it has a little bit of everything from across the entire US. . . . The refereed research provides important growth stage information about Hedysarum boreale useful to seed producers, techniques for improved germination of 2 Sphaeralcea species, information about the tolerances of northern prairie species to herbicides, seed transfer guidelines for 3 grass species in northern California, and a review of the prospects for conserving the endangered Chionanthus pygmaeus through propagation. Our general technical articles focus on germination of a Pacific Northwest sedge and the response of bareroot and container longleaf pine seedlings to scalping as a site preparation technique. Our propagation protocol highlights a perennial ground cover, shrub yellowroot (Xanthorhiza simplicissima), a member of the buttercup family. We also have a gadget/gizmo article about building your own "seed smoker" to possibly improve germination of fire-adapted species, a germplasm release for plains lovegrass in Arizona, and the return of book reviews. Rick Hammer has agreed to be book review editor and his efforts are most welcome and appreciated. I hope you find something inside this issue that helps with your efforts to grow native plants.

As always, thank you for your patronage and remember to tell your friends about Native Plants Journal.