Re: Mexican Mountain Daisies

Dear Tim and all Medit-planters

I have Montanoa bipinnatifida flowering right now in my garden.It grows in a sheltered N facing corner protected from the cold SW winds and weather of winter by our garage. Reaching over 3m tall it still gets a thrashing by the winds but most years manages to sow large heads of vaguely Cinneraria-like white flowers with golden yellow discs at their centres. The leaves are large, rough surfaced and similar in the shape to the leaves of a pin oak. I prune it very hard once the flowers have been so damaged they're no longer attractive. Our situation here is just a wee bit too cold for a bit too long for it to be really comfortable. I have also grown, tho no longer do for reasons of the space they take, other 'sub-Tropical' foliage plants suggested by William Robinson in THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN (1883) and THE SUB- TROPICAL GARDEN (1871).Wigandia caracassana (syn. macrophylla) was one I tried. In the 1840's it was grown here as a hardy garden perennial sub-shrub but it's somewhat prickly leaves cause intense itchiness in some people and it may have gone out of favour for that reason. It is still found in a few old National Trust gardens. Yuccas are a particular favourite of mine and I am growing about 15 at this time - perhaps I'll report on those later? Several weeks ago I was vastly amused, and made a little cranky, to see national advertising for a 'new' outdoor-indoor plant for Australia - Yucca guatamalensis (syn. Y. elephantipes). It has been grown here for at least 100 years and until last year I could have taken the promoters to see a huge tree of it in a garden about 5Km away. As it is I could still show them several smaller 'trees' that are about 50 yrs old in the neighbourhood. Does it need to be said that the promoters are promising to soon release more of these new and exciting plants (Yuccas ie) for the first time ever in Australia.Aaaaaarrrrrrrrrrgggggggghhhhhhhhh!!!! Their not quite truthful dishonesty drives me nuts.
The Castor Oil plant Ricinus communis 'Purpureus' grows so well here-abouts that it is now a declared weed ie. is officially a weed and illegal to grow in gardens, and the Giant Reed, Arundo donnax 'Variegata' is locally a weed too according to the municipal council. Not that this stops many people from growing it.

A 'new' plant to cultivation here is Ferula communis the Giant Fennel. I like it very much for its stature but seedlings are appearing and I will have to be very alert to cut down the seed heads before the seeds mature in future. I noticed while walking at a nearby waterfall (yes, we do have enough rain for waterfalls - at least in winter and spring) that plants of the Giant Fennel are getting established in the surrounding cliff-face of the falls. I have no idea where the seeds would have come from - tho' the adjacent suburbs have a fair number of wealthy souther European migrants; maybe they have planted it for culinary purposes (are there any????)and it has escaped.
Where it is growing it will be difficult to eradicate unless the rangers are good at mountain climbing.

I am also trying Crambe maritima for the effect its glaucous foliage will create. Its flowers and sprawling habit I like very much too. Crambe cordifolia has proven something of a disappointment here. Its leaves get eaten by every caterpillar in the entire neighbourhood - there are lots of market gardens nearby where cabbages, brussels sprouts, kale, cauliflowers and broccoli are grown, and I wonder if there is enough late rain to get it to flowering stage. I've given it an extra feed this year. If it doesn't perform out it goes.

As a final sub-Tropical note I'll add that Gunnera manicata the Giant Rhubarb is also naturalised in a valley near here; an escapee no doubt from one of the large 19th C 'hill station' gardens made here at that time. On our hilltop I could never get it to go, but I'm over that phase of gardening now anyway.

Next week, Sunday 8 August is the Feast of St Hellebore. Our garden will be open with one other so that pilgims may do honour to the Blessed Saint, and afterward we will hold a Florists Feast (shared dinner) to celebrate the day and the flower.

regards

trevor n

Trevor Nottle
Garden Historian, Garden Writer, Designer, Consultant
WALNUT HILL, 5 Walker Street, Crafers, SA 5152 AUSTRALIA
Tel./ Fax. 61 8 83394210
















































   



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