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Heyford Highlights
Jack Bramhill |
Jack has
recovered from his accident this spring, join him on his travels...
Zone 9 Cactus Mart
As the alarm went off just
after 6.00 am on a Saturday morning I did question the sanity of cactus
collectors but remembering the adage that ‘to get the good plants one needs to
get there early’ I was quickly on the road.
Two hours and five minutes and
114 miles later I arrived at the Wiltshire town of Chippenham, site for the Zone
9 Cactus Mart hosted by the Wiltshire Branch. The venue was adjacent to a
shopping area. On entering the hall the immediate impression was favourable. The
stalls were well laid out, there was plenty of room in the aisles and the 14
exhibitors were offering a wide range of quality plants at good prices.
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The next two hours were spent
looking at and purchasing plants and chatting to other collectors who seemed to
have come from a wide range of locations. At about 1 pm I commenced the five
trips required to get the plants back to the car. On each of the trips through
the shopping centre members of the public stared at my unusual purchases.
A little later, whilst
enjoying an excellent lunch at a pub on the A4 I reviewed the day. The only
fault with the Cactus Mart was the parking, I parked about 150 yards away but I
arrived an hour early and got one of the last places in the car park. The multi
storey was some distance further, no problem for a tray of small plants but
transport of large specimens could become tedious. However I understand that
there is a possibility that a new site is being considered.
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On the positive side I
extended my collections of Mams and Agaves, purchased a Mammillaria rekoi subsp.
aurespina cristate that required immediate repotting into a 9” pot and a
mature 30” high Oreocereus celsianus.
It had been a good day and on
reflection my earlier doubts on the sanity of collectors had been hasty.
Peterborough 50th
Anniversary Party
The function followed all the
best traditions of a party. On arrival refreshments were served and the first
game commenced – the Mini Show. All classes were restricted in size except ‘Any
Cactus’ and ‘Any Succulent’ – the format ensured a large quantity of
high quality and interesting plants.
After the Show had been set up
the entertainment commenced – Graham Charles speaking on ‘Pictures of Nice
Flowering Plants’ – the first slide being his cat Mabel which he maintains
makes an excellent background. A comprehensive range of plants was shown and the
combination of an expert commentary, good photography and comments from the
floor got the Party off to a good start.
This was followed by the most
important part of any party – the food – which was excellent and comprised a
choice of salads followed by strawberries and raspberries with cream, washed
down with outstanding Anniversary Punch.
After lunch John Pilbeam, who
had judged the show, gave a master class on ‘what had caught his eye and why.’
It was an opportunity to observe something many of us had wondered about – how
a judge’s mind worked and to be fair it appeared to be logical. Unfortunately
none of my plants caught his eye but there was a chance to indulge in some ‘retail
therapy’ and I added to my collection of Agaves. John commenced his talk with
the statement that Mexico was the ‘capital of the Cactus World’ and
proceeded to prove the point with a fascinating selection of slides coupled with
an expert commentary.
After the talk it only
remained to watch the cutting of the Anniversary Cake, partake of a piece, a
last drink, clear the plants, thank the hosts for a pleasant day and leave them
to clear up.
Now Jack
returns to his favourite garden in the Canaries...
The Jardin de Cactus Lanzarote
Looking down into the crater
in which the garden is set out I was surprised at the level of development that
had occurred since my last visit three years ago. The layout allows a large
number of plants to be grown on terracing on the slopes. The result is
spectacular with a profusion of large, high quality plants, many in flower.
Much of the effect is achieved
by growing the type of plants which would thrive in these ideal conditions –
Echinocactus grusonii the size of boulders, Espostoas that reach for the sky and
Opuntias that dwarf anything we grow.
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But there are a vast number of
interesting plants many of which I had never seen, including a Stenocereus
alomosensis (called Rathbunia neosonorensis there) the size of a tree with pink
flowers, a range of Aloes many in flower, one of the many Euphorbias on site was
an E. alcicornis 8 ft high, a large number of Copiapoas, an Echinocereus
pentalophus with purple flowers, together with Mams, Ferocactus, Trichocereus
and many more. The thing that struck me was the size, vigour and quality of the
plants making me realise the difference between growing in a greenhouse at home
and growing in an ideal environment. |
After the exertions of walking
around the garden it is pleasant to sit on the balcony with a beer, looking down
at a marvellous collection of plants.
All tours to the north of the
island call at the garden but time is limited. The alternative is to hire a taxi
or car and pay the five Euros entrance fee – it is a very pleasant way of
spending a morning
Jack
Thanks Jack, for bringing us
news of your travels.
