for those who knew William Glover

Hi Folks -

This note is intended for anyone who knew a former participant of this
forum, William Glover.  He hasn't been active on this list for some
time, but some of you may recall him from around 1999-2002.

I was informed by his daughter that he died this past Tuesday morning,
after being diagnosed with terminal brain cancer in October.

William was known in various horticultural circles because of his avid
interest in growing things and his beautiful garden, Mango Corners,
Jones Estate, Nevis, West indies.  Not particularly 'mediterranean',
but then not all of you are strictly from these climates.  Mango
Corner, a four acre semi-public garden, apparently comprises a wide
variety of plants, but most notably approximately 1,000 succulents,
principally cacti, agaves, and euphorbias, growing in the ground.  I
have no information about the current or ultimate fate of this garden.
 And, yes, he was related to the actor Danny Glover.

I always recall pleasant exchanges with William, and going back
through the archives of this forum, this memory was well supported.
He remained a subscriber to this forum up until today (when I removed
him).  It was a treat to recall some of these exchanges.  I thought
I'd include one of these here (below) - particularly heavy with
detailed information and representing his friendly style.  He always
signed his e-mails with 'Warm Regards', which I am sure he meant
fully.

Back at you, William!

Seán O.
sean (at) gimcw dot org
hortulus-aptus.com

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Subject: Thunbergias and other vines
From: Mango Corners
Date: Mon, 27 Sep 1999 13:58:47 -0400

Janet Blenkinship asked for posts on vines and since it is much too
wet to work outside this very rainy day here are some comments on
creepers from the usually sunny Caribbean.

There are several reasons why our one-storey house was largely
demolished and rebuilt as a two-storey house a few years ago but a not
inconsequential one was my predilection for vining plants. Though not
primarily to furnish shade as the roof overhangs are substantial and
the galleries (verandahs) are continuous around the house on both
levels making it easy to be in a shaded area at any time of day.

Most of the two dozen concrete columns holding up the second-storey
have wooden 'ladders' affixed to them on which are growing such vines
(usually two different kinds to each column) as Thunbergia
grandiflora, T. mysorensis, Petrea volubilis, Luffa cylindrica,
Bougainvillea, Allamanda cathartica, Calonycton aculeatum (= Ipomoea
alba), Norantea guianensis, Dolichos lablab, Ipomoea horsfalliae,
Strongylodon macrobotrys, several spp. of Philodendron and Monstera,
Vanilla planifolia, and my present favorite, Quisqualis indica
(Rangoon creeper).

This latter plant is naturalized here and viewed with awe and alarm by
most of the populace - visitors repeatedly warn me against it - as it
is a rampant grower which can overwhelm a small house very quickly. My
plant is but a year old and has already reached the top of the
balustrade on the upper storey sixteen feet above the ground and has
spread almost twenty feet along the balustrade. Blooming all year
round, Q. indica flowers open white in the morning, turning first pink
then red by afternoon and nocturnally fragrant.

Thunbergia mysorenis and Strongylodon macrobotrys are also young
plants, less than a year old, and are growing well though not rapidly
and have yet to flower.

The wooden 'ladders', by the way, were built of pressure-treated
(Wolmanized) pine to keep the termites at bay and the chemical
compounds in such treated lumber seems in no way detrimental to the
vines growing on them.

Growing on an arbor beside my shop/garage building are Stephanotis
floribunda, Clitorea terneata, Thunbergia alata, Senecio confusus, and
Clerodendrum thomsoniae. There are some other vines on the property,
notably Hylocereus undatus (night-blooming cactus) along several
hundred feet of stone walls and into several of the adjacent trees,
Cryptostegia grandiflora (Malay rubber vine) along the fences, and a
most unwelcome one that the wind blows in from time to time: Dodder or
Strangle Weed (Cuscuta sp.), known locally as lop-lop.

Last year a pool was built and to give the bathers some shade, but
more importantly to give me more scope to plant additional vines, a
pergola was erected at the far (western) end of the pool. But, alas,
this past winter (or what passes for winter in the Caribbean)
complaints were heard of the pool being too cold when the water
temperature was 24C (75F) and the northeast trade winds were briskly
blowing. So the top of the pergola is being sacrificed to solar
heating mats to warm the pool during the cooler months and the vines
to be planted will be of the less robust kinds that will not climb
above the latticed back and sides of the pergola.

Ours, of course, is not a Mediterranean climate, but a tropical one
with a temperature range of 21-35C (70-95F), an average relative
humidity of 75%, and an annual rainfall averaging 1250mm (50 inches).
Nevis thus is a semi-arid island by tropical standards, in marked
contrast to our near and larger neighbors as Dominica, Guadaloupe, and
Martinique, parts of which receive more than 6 metres (20 feet) of
rain a year.

Those interested in vines will find a great deal of pleasure and much
useful information in Edwin Menninger's 'Flowering Vines of the World'
(Hearthside Press, New York, 1970).

Warm regards,

William Glover
Mango Corners, Jones Estate
NEVIS, West Indies (Antilles)
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