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! 

View in Graham Charles' garden

Catalpa bignoidioides

The bark of Betula albosinensis

OK So the Ed thought we would start this article with the tree pictures. This was not the priority while we were actually there, (you can imagine). However the N&MK reporters feel that there is more to life than cacti (and succulents). So just enjoy an arboreal experience.

Top left: A general view in the garden with unusual trees and pouring rain.

Top right: Catalpa bignoidioides in flower.

Right: The bark of Betula albosinensis.

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. 

View in Graham Charles' garden with greenhouses

Left:  View towards the back of the main greenhouse with propagation and sales greenhouses.

Right: General view in the main greenhouse and Graham’s magnificent collection.

 

View in Graham Charles' greenhouse

 

Gymnocalycium species

Neoporterias in Graham Charles collection

Copiapoas

 

Above, Left to right...  Gymnocalyciums, Neoporterias and Copiapoas.

Left: South American cacti,  

Right: Work in progress on a bed for cacti. With a free root-run they make terrific growth.

 

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.  

    Pilosocereus bohlii,

 

 

Roland looks at the top shelf

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.

 

 

Mammillaria poselgeri

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.  

Uncarina roeoesliana

Pachycereus gaumeri

Pilosocereus arrabidae

Above left: Uncarina roeoesliana, a Madagascan plant in the Pedaliantheae family.

Above middle: Pachycereus gaumeri with unusual green flowers.

Above right; Pilosocereus arrabidae with white flowers.

 

Left: A general view with Didierea and Alluaudia.

Right: An undescribed Cleistocactus.

Far right : Cleistocactus hoffmannii

 

 

An undescribed Cleistocactus.

Cleistocactus hoffmannii

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). and a new Gymnocalycium (below right), raised from seed collected near Agua Rodeo.

A coolection of Parodias

Mammillaria saboae v. roczekoi

New Gymnocalycium, raised from seed collected near Agua Rodeo.

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?  

Neat rows of cacti seedlings in Graham Charles' collection Seedling cacti Copiapoa seedlings need potting up!

Graham Charles

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 

Right: Graham sent us this picture of the central bed as it now looks after he has finished replanting it. Thanks, (and can we pop back and inspect it in another couple of years, please?)

Cacti bedded out.

 

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