Contents of the Spring 2011 Northants News
A Fact-finding Mission Roland Tebbenham |
Photographs
from Roland and Trev
How large a greenhouse do you need if you are planning to write a book? How many plants do you need to study a genus? On a damp July day two intrepid N&MK Branch reporters travelled north to investigate … actually Trevor and Roland were invited to visit Graham and Elisabeth Charles’ collections in Rutland. Yes England’s smallest county contains one of the largest cactus and succulent plant collections we know of. No doubt if one of our readers knows of another, then you will contact the Editor with proof of your assertion and write a piece for our Branch magazine!
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Hidden amongst mature
trees there is a massive clear-span greenhouse containing a veritable cornucopia
of plants. The trees are very interesting too; Graham and Elizabeth have planted
a modest arboretum containing many nice specimens with flowers to enjoy and bark
to feel.
Many
of you are probably aware of Graham’s annual list of plants raised from
habitat seeds; this is a fine effort to record and conserve plants with
documented source data. He has two smaller greenhouses for seed raising and
sales plants; in winter their contents are transferred into the main house to
minimise the costs of heating the less efficient structures. The heating of the
main house is by oil and watering uses a pump to move rainwater collected in a
30000litre storage tank. Graham’s potting mix is: 1x JIPC2 + 1x peat-free
universal + 1x grit +gypsum (CaSO4) to provide extra calcium for
those plants that live on gypsum or in more alkaline substrates.
This large operation has been developed over many years and enables Graham to keep a wide variety of cacti and other succulents. Elisabeth’s collection is also accommodated in the main greenhouse; as Graham commented, “The properly potted, clean and tidy plants are Elisabeth’s.” Visitors to the National Shows have certainly seen prize cards on her fine specimens as well as her husband’s.
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Graham also organises
the ‘Cactus Explorers’ meetings to engage people with a deep interest in
studying plants both in habitat and in captivity, whether amateur growers or
professional botanists. He authored a nice Cactus File Handbook ‘Copiapoa’
in 1998; maybe you recall his floor map presentation at a Branch meeting in
2007? His most recent book on Gymnocalycium is a tour de force on that popular
genus of South American plants. It needed three years of detailed research,
study and many discussions with other gymnocalycophiles to bring it to fruition.
We are fortunate that Graham is now retired and has time to pursue his
interests!
We made some brief
notes on our discoveries, but our pictures tell the story. First to the large
greenhouse… Regular maintenance of a large collection with many planted in
beds is essential; digging out old big plants from the open beds means removing
the tough mat of lateral roots, some more than 3” [8cm] deep. Then just
replace the topsoil and replant with new plants or rooted cuttings to complete
the job! There were also many boxes of offcuts awaiting composting.
We were not surprised
to find many South American plants crowding the benches – indeed there were
hundreds of them! Many were essential to Graham’s study work needed for his
books. However the Sulcorebutias had been elbowed out to a corner of one sales
house, Graham commented “They were a bit boring so I chucked them in there.”
Right: Within the
main house Graham has a large hotbox where he keeps plants from warmer
habitats including many Brazilian Cerei. He showed us the striking
blue-stemmed Pilosocereus
bohlii, (near
right) one of very few cacti with true root tubers. We also learnt that Arthrocereus and Discocactus
are hawk moth pollinated. |
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The top shelf is where the sunshine junkies live – and flower well as a consequence. Watering
them must be as much fun as trying to photograph them. How many of us
have ladders on hand to ‘access all areas’? On the right Mammillaria
poselgeri enjoys
life on the top shelf and has red, bird pollinated flowers.
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Despite
Graham’s penchant for cacti, there are also many succulents planted in the
large beds. We noted three fine Madagascan plants – Didierea
madagascariensis, Alluaudia
montagnacii with its vertically arranged leaves and an Uncarina roeoesliana
with lovely large yellow flowers.
Among
the many cereiform plants were Pachycereus
gaumeri
with its arresting green flowers and Pilosocereus
arrabidae
with large white blooms. Cleistocactus
hoffmannii
looked very like an Espostoa
with its long areolar hairs: it was transferred from Loxanthocereus
in the NCL. There were also many plants awaiting formal descriptions including a
nice orange flowered Cleistocactus.
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Many
plants were flowering despite the clouds and rain when we visited including Parodias, (below left), a fine Mammillaria
saboae v. roczekoi
with a busy hoverfly, (below centre).
Moving into the
smaller houses we appreciated just how many plants Graham raises each season.
The neat rows of pricked out seedlings (below left) were growing well and would soon
be the high quality sales plants we have come to expect, (below centre).
However
some trays appeared unduly crowded; these Copiapoas (below right)
germinated in 2001
and eight years later were fighting for space. But then which of us has not
overlooked a pan of seedlings?
We
will draw our record to a close with a picture of Graham (above) in classic pose
– informing his audience (us) of a fascinating fact. This is a young Cleistocactus xylorhizus
(formerly Loxanthocereus)
which
is very drought tolerant, sea-fogs providing essential
moisture in its Peruvian mountain habitat. One final perspective of the large
house with its benches chock full of plants – quite a view. (Top right) And the answers to
the questions? You need a very large a greenhouse if you are planning to write a
book? As to how many plants you need to study a genus … it depends on the
genus. Graham estimated probably around one thousand for Gymnocalycium. However
you don’t need to write on Gymnocalycium, so pick another, maybe smaller
genus? |
We hope that you have
enjoyed our report from Rutland. Both NN reporters offer grateful thanks to
Graham for his generous hospitality in entertaining and educating us on a
memorable day. Roland
GC
Quote: Try to grow a few
plants well rather than a lot of plants badly. I don’t actually do that
but……….. Refs: ‘Copiapoa’
by Graham Charles Cactus File Handbook #4 1998 ISBN 0-9528302-5-6 ‘Gymnocalycium in Habitat and Culture’ by Graham Charles 2009 ISBN 978-0-9562206-0-8 |