A beautiful Crocus

Crocus banaticus 'Snowdrift'

The normal lilac-flowered Crocus banaticus bloomed here several weeks ago, starting in late September, but this clone is just at its peak now. It has been rather glomy today, so I picked a flower and brought it inside to open in the warmth - which enables me to enjoy it on my desk.

'Snowdrift' is the best white C. banaticus I have come across - a really gorgeous, large flower, 7 cm from segment-tip to segment-tip, and the frothy white stigma in the centre is exquisite. Like any C. banaticus it is easy in the open garden here - if the mice leave it alone. They seem particularly fond of this species and I dread finding the clump ransacked by a rodent.

South African plants and a gravestone in Oxford

The mid-part of the day was spent at the Nerine and Amaryllid Society meeting, where the highlight was a talk by Sue Bedwell on bulbous and other summer-flowering plants of the Eastern Cape. I had to slip away mid-afternoon, however, to attend a symposium to launch the Calleva Research Centre for Evolution and Human Science at Magdalen College. This included an extremely interesting talk by Matt Ridley on the evolution of human innovation and prosperity, and three short lectures on psychological aspects of human development - not a subject I usually grapple with.



C.G.B.Daubeny
(from Magdalen College Oxford, A History)

 Set in the flagstones of St John's Quad outside the chapel at Magdalen is a discrete gravestone (above). The initials are for Charles Giles Bridle Daubeny (1795-1867). Born just down the Churn Valley from here, at Stratton near Cirencester, he became one of Oxford's earliest all-round scientists, successively and consecutively Professor of Chemistry, Botany and Rural Economics. Highly respected in his lifetime, he was an early follower of Darwin, and is currently honoured in Oxford by the Daubeny Building (adjacent to the Botanic Garden) and the Daubeny Herbarium in the Department of Plant Sciences.


Daubenya aurea

Botanists and gardeners interested in South African plants know his name in the genus Daubenya (Hyacinthaceae), comprising eight low-growing bulbous plants. The first to be named was Daubenya aurea, named in Daubeny's honour in 18235 by John Lindley.  It is remarkable for its extraordinarily enlarged lower perianth segments, which flare out into a rather crown-like ring around the cluster of flowers at the centre of the plant. It comes from the rather arid and cold area known as the Roggeveld in the Karoo, and is a prized specimen for the enthusiast: this potful is cultivated by Graham Duncan in the bulb greenhouse 'behind the scenes' at Kirstenbosch. In recent years several species, formerly in other genera, have been added to Daubenya, but D. aurea is far and away the most spectacular (see the Pacific Bulb Society wiki page on the genus for more information). One has to hope that the Professor saw the plant that bears his name, but Lindley named it from cultivated material, so he possibly did.

Bobartia sp.

Another Oxford connection with the monocot flora of South Africa comes in the genus Bobartia, which Linnaeus established to commmorate the two Jacob Bobarts, father and son, who were the first two superintendents of the University Botanic Garden, Bobart the Elder being appointed in 1632. A member of the Iris family, Bobartia is rather obscure, and although a species used to be cultivated in the Botanic Garden glasshouse I had never seen flowers until our recent visit to South Africa, when we found one in flower on the Groenlandberg - on a very windy day. It is possibly B. gladiata.

A few leaves from Pan-Global Plants

Echeveria elegans

I paid a long overdue visit to Nick Macer at Pan-Global Plants, Frampton-on-Severn, this afternoon and enjoyed a good long chatter about plants, especially the good ones with which his nursery is so abundantly stocked. Here are a few leaves that caught my attention.

Rhus succedanea, from seed collected by Nick Macer in Vietnam. Although it is now past its peak the colour in the leaves is amazing.

Phlomis angustifolia: perhaps a dubious name, but a superb foliage plant



Quercus kelloggii

Magnolia macrophylla



Not only pink, part 4: Nerine hybrids

Nerine Zeal Hybrid C

Given the wonderful range of colours found in the Nerine sarniensis hybrids and the limited palette of pinks and a few whites in N. bowdenii, it is not surprising that breeders have long wished to see a combination of 'colour' and hardiness. As the two species, despite their very different annual cycles, flower at about the same time it is quite easy to dab pollen between them, and occasionally a hybrid seed is set. This process is not quite as easy as it may seem, as the two are not very compatible, and there are often differences in chromosome number between clones that prevent fertilization occurring.


Nerine 'Zeal Giant'



The most successful breeder of hardy hybrids to date has been the late Terry Jones, who conducted a decades-long breeding programme at his home in Zeal Monachorum in Devon. His best known selection is the enormous 'Zeal Giant' (right), now quite freely available. It produces large, bright reddish pink flowers on robust stems at least 60 cm tall and is a really impressive plant in full flower. It is hardy in mild gardens in southern England, but was killed here in an ordinary winter. Two other selections distributed by Terry Jones are relatively well-known, 'Zeal Salmon' and 'Zeal Grilse'. They certainly add a new set of colours to the palette, with the salmon shades being especially distinct.

Terry Jones died a few years ago, and bequeathed his breeding stock and the stud books to Matt Bishop at the Garden House, Buckland Monachorum (these Devon monks got around). Matt has distributed some material, either under letters,  as in the case of 'C' (at top), or with descriptive names, as in the case of 'Zeal Purple Stripe' (below). He has also continued the breeding programme, with his aims being to reduce the bluish tinge seen in the flowers as they mature and fade and to continue to seek for genuine hardiness. The best indicator for this is dormancy in winter, inherited from the N. bowdenii parent: most of the Zeal Hybrids are more less winter-dormant but try to have a few active leaves. Their success depends on whether a spring flush replaces those produced in autumn and thus permits the bulb to fatten up: if not, it will dwindle away. So far, most are not available in sufficient quantities for hardiness testing on a wide scale, but indications are that many will survive where winters are not too severe.

 

Nerine 'Zeal Purple Stripe' - a reference to the stripe that develops down the centre of each 'petal' as the flower matures.

Others have also tried their hand at breeding hybrids, but have not always selected for hardiness. 'Afterglow', illustrated below, is also Nerine sarniensis x bowdenii and has inherited the true N. sarniensis colour that is so sought after, to make a true break from pink. It is winter-growing, however, and is therefore not hardy.



Nerine 'Afterglow'



Other combinations of parents have given offspring, notably N. bowdenii x N. undulata ("flexuosa" forms), but these tend to be very late flowering and of limited garden value, and there are bigeneric hybrids with Amaryllis belladonna, known as the hybrid genus xAmarine.

For those interested in the genus Nerine and its relatives, The Nerine and Amaryllid Society is a small but dynamic society, with a journal produced three times per year, a bulb exchange, and visits to gardens and nurseries during the flowering season. The AGM, get-together, and series of talks will be held tomorrow at Holton Village Hall, near Oxford. The society's website provides more information, but not everything:  prospective members should contact the Secretary for information on subscription rates.

Not only pink, part 3: Nerine bowdenii

A dark pink clone of Nerine bowdenii selected by Stanley Smee

For most British gardeners, at least, Nerine bowdenii is the most familiar species in the genus; it can be seen in gardens throughout the country, often in large pink masses. It is totally hardy in this climate, but the myth persists that it needs to be planted against a warm wall. This is quite definitely not the case, as it has been shown that flowering is reduced if the bulb gets too hot, and as a summer-growing plant it needs ample moisture during the growing season, not often found at the base of a warm wall in summer. It thrives best in ordinary garden conditions with well-drained soil and full sun, preferably without much else growing around it.

Nerine bowdenii is found in two apparently disjunct populations in the wild. It was originally discovered in the vicinity of King William's Town , Eastern Cape, and plants from this population are still the most abundant in cultivation. They are typically rather bright pink, and the perianth segments (petals) are usually more or less smooth-edged, or slightly wavy. The cultivar 'Linda Vista' (right) is typical of this population.  A few hundred kilometres away the species reappears, on the cliffs of the Drakensberg where Kwa-Zulu Natal meets the Free State at Mont aux Sources. Here the flowering stems are perhaps a little taller, the flowers often a pale pink and the segments have strongly waved or crisped edges. This population is known by the invalid name var. wellsii and look rather different from the Eastern Cape plants: I believe they certainly deserve  taxonomic distinction, probably as a subspecies. Unfortunately I don't have a digital picture of this at present.

Both locations are in the summer rainfall area, and experience cool or cold dry winters. The plants are deciduous, losing their leaves in winter, and it is this critical fact that makes it hardy in Britain - they are effectively dormant through the worst weather. Even though the bulbs usually protrude from the ground they are seldom if ever damaged by frost. The plants leaf out in spring and grow through the summer, and have often withered before the inflorescences emerge, though if the soil remains moist the foliage may still be active at flowering time.

I find the ordinary bright pink of N. bowdenii a rather difficult colour to place in the garden, and think it's best grown away from most other plants blooming in September and October, but it looks good among grasses, and the subtle greyish greens often found in 'mediterranean' plants. As with any popular garden plant there are numerous cultivars selected for colour, floriferousness, height, etc, and there is even one with marginally variegated leaves, 'Mollie Cowie'. Many are rather indistinct and the names are often muddled in commerce, but some are well worth having. I prefer the paler shades of pink, such as those seen here: 'Marnie Rogerson' (left) and 'Pink Surprise' below. This is a poor example of 'Pink Surprise', with far fewer flowers than usual: I think it is one of the very best cultivars.

Nerine bowdenii 'Pink Surprise'

A clone that opens very pale pink and fades to almost white has been known for many years as 'Alba', but it is not really very special in either colour or vigour. In recent years some much better white-flowered clones have appeared, including 'White Magic' (below), which is pure white with a green keel on the outer surface of the perianth segments, a sure sign of it being a true albino. A clump of this doing well will be a magnificent sight, but as I have only one bulb at present there is some way to go!

Nerine bowdenii 'White Magic'



Not only pink, part 2: some less familiar Nerine species

The genus Nerine in cultivation is most often represented by N. sarniensis and N. bowdenii, but there are in fact 25 species in the genus. Several of them are rare in both the wild and cultivation, but many are extremely attractive and well worth growing if they can be obtained. Space precludes me developing a very large collection of nerines of any sort, but I grow a few of these 'other' species. These are all currently in flower.

Nerine humilis (above) comes from the Western Cape, where I've seen it growing (but not flowering) in large colonies in thin soil over rock. Like N. sarniensis (with which it will hybridize) it is winter-growing and summer deciduous, producing its inflorescence in autumn and the narrow, flat leaves shortly thereafter. It seems to be easily grown in a very gritty compost and given a dry (but not baked) summer rest.

In the Eastern Cape there is a tendency for species to be evergreen, at least in cultivation. One of these, with very narrow,thread-like leaves is the diminutive N. masoniorum (right), which is now considered to be Critically Endangered in the wild due to degradation of its habitat. Having driven through this area of Eastern Cape last month, and seen the environmental degradation thereabouts it was not difficult to see how this could happen. The epithet masoniorum commemorates both Marianne Harriet Mason (1845-1932) and her brother Canon Edward Mason, who was Principal of St Bede's Native College at Umtata, formerly in the Transkei (now Mthatha, Eastern Cape). According to Gunn & Codd's Botanical Exploration of Southern Africa (1981), Marianne 'made leisurely journeys by cart and horses to out-of-the-way places' [in eastern South Africa] collecting seeds and bulbs and painting plants.

Also from the Eastern Cape are two forms of N. undulata, with broader, flatter leaves that are evergreen until frosted off. The first, seen above, is a very fine plant, producing its bright pink flowers very freely. It is hardy outdoors in southern England and soon makes a good clump, though these plants are potted and kept in the greenhouse. The leaves are long and narrow, which quickly distinguishes the plant from the second form. This was (and often still is) known in cultivation as N. flexuosa but that name is technically a synonym of N. humilis. This plant, with comparatively short, broad leaves, and less 'crinkly' flowers in either pink or white, is placed as a variant of N. undulata by Graham Duncan in his book Growing Nerines (2002) but he suggests that this may only be a temporary holding ground while further studies take place. It is also hardy in southern England, but we only grow the white form in pots at Colesbourne. I'll post a picture when its flowers open in a few days time.

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Grasses in afternoon light

Pennisetum setaceum with Calamagrostis 'Overdam' behind

 Molinia caerulea 'Karl Foerster'