The People Behind the Plants: Margaret Pooler

Washington, D.C. is home to thousands of flowering cherry trees – a gift from Japan almost 100 years ago. The nation’s capital also is home to the U.S. National Arboretum where researchers look for superior selections of the picturesque tree.

Margaret Pooler is acting research leader of the Floral and Nursery Plants Research Unit at the USNA, and one of her favorite plants to pollinate is the flowering cherry.

“Flowering cherries are physically very easy to pollinate due to the large flower size, single stigma and ease of removing anthers,” she said. “Plus it is very calming to stand under the cherry trees doing pollinations in early spring as the birds are singing and cherry blossoms drift down on you from the branches above. And there are so many new hybrids that can be made – there’s lots of potential with this group of plants.”

Pooler and her team are charged with finding woody landscape plants that are disease and pest resistant, tolerant of various environmental stresses, have superior ornamental value and are non-invasive. Her emphasis is on flowering cherries, redbuds and crapemyrtles.

Researchers at the USNA use seed propagation to grow out the new hybrids they create.

“After we make advanced selections and are ready to test plants in replicated field trials, we propagate mostly by softwood cuttings under mist,” Pooler said. “Occasionally we run into a selection that is difficult to root from cuttings, in which case we bud it or enlist the help of a cooperating nursery to bud it for us.”

In 2001 the USNA released Cercis chinensis ‘Don Egolf,’ a vividly colored cultivar that doesn’t produce seed. It was named for the late Donald Egolf, renowned shrub breeder at the USNA.

Egolf had the biggest influence on Pooler’s career at the arboretum, even though she never met the man.

“He left great records and a diversity of plant material, so I was able to continue where he left off and also expand the program with modern breeding technologies,” she said.

Other USNA releases include: Syringa ‘Old Glory’ and ‘Declaration’; Prunus ‘First Lady’ and ‘Dream Catcher’; Callicarpa dichotoma ‘Duet’; Viburnum ‘Nantucket’; and Lagerstroemia ‘Arapaho,’ ‘Cheyenne’ and ‘Pocomoke.’

Viburnum ‘Nantucket’ foliage  Cercis ‘Don Egolf’ Crapemyrtle ‘Arapaho’ This vigorous, upright crapemyrtle features strong red flowers. Foliage is dark green tinged with maroon. It has a narrow crown and superior powdery mildew resistance. Flowering cherry ‘First Lady’ This hybrid has an upright growth habit with dark rose-pink flowers. It’s a fast-growing tree that retains its columnar habit with age. Redbud ‘Don Egolf’ It’s covered from stem to stern with rosy-mauve flowers in early spring. It’s slow-growing with a compact habit. It has exhibited no invasive tendencies. Lilac ‘Betsy Ross’ This selection was made specifically for warmer climates. It’s adorned with a fluffy coverlet of blooms in early spring. Viburnum ‘Nantucket’ Selected for its large, mildly fragrant flowers, this viburnum has an upright growth and relatively compact habit. White inflorescences cover the plant in May.