Contents of the Spring 2010 Northants News
Autumn Adventures Roland Tebbenham |
I
enjoyed our Branch Show despite there being fewer entries this year
owing to the absence of some notable exhibitors both local and from
further afield. Staging was busy on Saturday morning, but good humoured
and our Judge Alice Vanden Bon performed her duties most efficiently;
indeed she was most complimentary about our arrangements. Thanks to
Billing Garden Village for being most helpful and generous hosts. I was
pleased with my prize card for three succulents. Even if you do not own
massive plants and suitable transport you can achieve results. I hope
more members bring their smaller gems next year as well as the larger
specimens that impress the visiting public. We did speak to lots of
people, who left us clutching plants and information leaflets. Well done
to all our helpers.
There is more on the N&MK 2009 Show if you click the link. |
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Above; Setting up the branch show. |
Above: Roland’s three succulents won a first card. |
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My wife and I enjoy our local garden visits and succulent plants continued to prove popular, a container group shows a good example in a garden at Clifton-upon-Dunsmore. (left) There is one very fashionable plant we saw frequently this summer – Aeonium ‘Zwartkopf’ (or ‘Schwartzkop’), the illustration (right) shows a specimen in the RHS Garden at Wisley though we saw many others growing outside near warm walls in England and in SW Scotland.
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During August we visited the botanic gardens in Glasgow and at Logan in far SW Scotland; the latter is part of the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh. The cacti & succulents in Glasgow are being overhauled and replanted and we noted the local BCSS Branch advertisement in the arid greenhouse. There is also a collection of island flora plants at Glasgow and some fine Canary Island Aeoniums were amongst them. Aeoniums at the Glasgow Botanical Garden. Left: A. holochrysum and Right: a variegated A. tortuosum (= lindleyi) |
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Above; two views of succulents at the Glasgow Botanical Garden. | Right: The curious bromeliad Fascicularia bicolor at Logan which is hardy in some UK gardens. |
The Logan Botanic Gardens looked very lush and we saw some fine waterfalls around Glen Trool draining all the rain from the high ground. Though Logan is notable for tree ferns and many southern hemisphere plants we saw a large bromeliad Fascicularia bicolor and a Yucca in flower. I recommend both gardens if you want to expand your plant horizons north of the border. | ||
Above: Views at the Logan Botanical Garden in Scotland showing the Cordyline Avenue and a Yucca in flower. |
We
also visited the RHS gardens at Wisley, particularly to see how the collections
in the new greenhouse had developed since our last visit two years ago. Some of
the smaller plants are developing into nice specimens. The overall ‘Arid Zone’
planting is filling out well and offers greater impact than on our first visit
soon after it had opened. If you visit the greenhouse, do not miss the ‘Root
Zone’; it is full of intriguing exhibits. Finally a variegated Yucca
gloriosa certainly made an impact in the border adjacent to the Alpine
Houses.
Left: Yucca gloriosa ‘variegata’ in an outside bed at Wisley.
Below: Views of the Wisley Garden’s ‘Arid Zone’ display |
I finish this
short piece as I began, at a show.
The Oxford Branch combines their annual show with special interest group classes and a lecture. This year it was the turn of the Haworthia Society and Alan Butler journeyed from Italy to speak on the genus Sansevieria. There were some terrific show plants to enjoy including big Astrophytum species a fine flowering Hoodia and a perfect Lapidaria amongst many. The cabaret turn was provided by John Betteley and Len Evans in deep discussion over the results. I left the show with yet more plants from the interesting sales stands and also some plans for future speakers; all in all a terrific day. Right: The Astrophytum class at the Oxford Show Far right: A Hoodia with a giant bloom. |
I spent a varied summer visiting some great gardens and shows and saw many non succulent plants as well as good examples of the tender species we all enjoy growing. It is not only nice to see a display developing, as at RHS Wisley, but also to see maintenance and replenishment in the arid house at Glasgow. The more people who grow Cacti and Succulents the greater are the incentives to maintain Botanic Garden collections in good order. The BCSS needs to develop good relationships with such organisations. I hope you will find time to visit some great places in 2010. Roland |
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Above
left: Song and dance routine from ace
exhibiters John Betteley and Len Evans.
Above right is a fine Lapidaria margaretae. |