Autumn Adventures

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.
Above; Setting up the branch show.		Above: Roland’s three succulents won a first card.

Bowl garden planted with succulents

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.

Aeonium ‘Zwartkopf’

Aeonium holochrysum at Glasgow BG

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)

Aeonium tortuosum 'Variegatum' at Glasgow BG

Succulents at the Glasgow Botanical Garden.

Fascicularia bicolor

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.

Yucca gloriosa ‘variegata’

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

Columns of Cleistocactus in the 'Arid Zone' at Wisley

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.

The Astrophytum class at the BCSS Oxford Show

Hoodia in flower at the BCSS Oxford Show

		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*
Above left: Song and dance routine from ace exhibiters John Betteley and Len Evans. Above right is a fine Lapidaria margaretae.