Re: Pergammon

Richard Wanberg wrote:
I believe in Europe, Citrus medica is often referred to as Pergammon. Not
being
100% sure, I spent 5 minutes doing a web search and came up with nothing.
Anyone
know for sure?
Richard, Angela, Moira, David, and all,

Checking my emails this a.m. I was surprised at the confusion sparked by my mention of the pergammon tree...until I attempted to look it up myself and found no references to it under that name.  My bet would be it is Citrus medica, since Botanica has a fairly accurate description:  shrubby, lumpy lemon-like fruit, brought to Europe by Alexander the Great, used for making marmalades, etc.  I am not very good at describing perfumes, but this one is not cloying like honeysuckle or sharp like citrus, but something in between.  Addictive!  Also, if you mention the pergamondo in Greece, you will always to get a few snickers:  the word gamo in Greek is the f word!   Everyone relishes the naughtiness of saying it, so one needn't be shy.  I remember my first encounter with this tree was in a monastery garden near Chania, Crete, and no one seemed adverse to giggling about it even there!

I know, there is so precious little written about gardens in Greece- they seem to be kept like family secrets!

Eleni Athanassiou's plot lies in the "Midlands" region of Attica, famous for its winegrowing industry.  Her land is rocky, on a hillside, and she has waged a general battle with the elements for eight years to develop the beautiful terraced garden we saw yesterday.  A flock of sheep wandered by as we were on the tour, and she admitted she regrets having to keep them out, as she is an animal-lover and even keeps a flock of Muscovite (?) ducks in a man-made pond on the premisis.  Eleni grew her "200 potted plants" at her prior suburban home and transplanted them here along will her naturalized collections of aloes, agaves, succulents, euphorbia, teucriums, cassias, junipers, pines, carobs, almonds, citrus, bulbous plants, a graceful artemisia arborescens, even some grevilleas and other exotics.  Many of her trees were grown from seed collected by hand.  A very worthwhile one hour-plus drive from Athens, topped off by Eleni's homemade juniper tea and cake.  Karen V.

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