Mysteries

First the mystery of my own making. Apologies for having created
confusion. Fatsia japonica is what I meant. 'Rubber plant' is what it
and lots of other not-at-all-related plants are often popularly called
around here - this may be regional rather than national, even - ie,
confined to the daftnesses of Cumbria. Another example of the dangers
of confusion with popular names!

Then Gary's mystery. I can confirm what Moira reported via Beth Chatto
about Strobilanthes atropurpureus - at least, I can confirm re.
appearance and (slightly surprising) level of hardiness - though it
doesn't get any drought here so I can't confirm its equanimity with
regard to same. It gets full sun and moist but well-drained soil here
and says Thanks and romps away. It's the only Strobilanthes sp I've
grown but I see that S. violaceus, S. attenuatus and its ssp S. a.
nepalensis, S. dyerianus and even Gary's possible S. anisophyllus are
available from nurseries in the UK. Gary: if you're sure it's S.
anisophyllus but need and can't get any more info. about it, try an
e-mail to the only UK nursery stocking it - Derry Watkins's Special
Plants. The address is: derry@sclegg.demon.co.uk. Mention my name if
you feel you need an intro - Derry's an old 'plant friend,' a high
quality nurserywoman and a real enthusiast for her plants - I'm sure
she'd be happy to tell you what she knows about its requirements. She
tends to specialise in S. African plants/plants generally suited to
heat and drought and this may well be one of'em.

While I'm writing, can I throw a few more
barely-if-at-all-Mediterranean mysteries into the ring? Grateful for
anyone's experience of growing any or all of them.

(1) Polylepis australis. I know this is Argentinian, I know it's grown
for its peeling bark ('out-Acer-griseums Acer griseum,' said the
friend who gave me the seed), I know it'll stand a FEW degrees of
frost, I know that it will grow quite well in light shade. Query: how
many degrees is a few?! Would it grow BETTER in more sun? What about
soil?? I can report that it germinates with cheering speed and grows
with ditto ditto. How it'll get on in the ground here, of course....

(2) Pittosporum viridis. All I know about this is that it's from S.
Africa. Anyone know what sort of conditions in the wild? Anyone any
idea of hardiness levels? Seedlings have conspicuously and
attractively shiny green leaves. Is that what the species name derives
from? If so, what colour are the flowers?

(3) Pittosporum rhombifolium. I don't even know where this one comes
from! Australia?? I got given a plant by a friend who'd got given
several - but no info. - by a visiting horticultural superstar (the
sort who teasingly assumes that everyone else knows as much as he
does). Leaves handsome - but plant looks sick - and that's in what we
laughingly call high summer. Anyone know or grow it and have any
notions of my chances?

(4) Asterotrichion discolor. I know this is a shrub from Oz and I know
that it HAS been grown successfully in the UK in the past but that's
about ALL I know. Any Oz member know about it in the wild? Anyone grow
it elsewhere? Around the actual Med., perhaps? Is it worth growing?!
Can I grow it in a dampish garden with cool summers and (usually) only
a handful of mildly frosty winter nights and next to no frosty days?

I didn't have time, when Dave Poole wrote his splendid account of his
garden a few weeks ago, to comment but I'll just put in a quick
belated PS now to say that I'm delighted he's seen the light re Iris
confusa and (particularly) I. wattii!  I. wattii really is a
magnificent plant - foliage luxuriantly exotic and flowers delicately
refined. I grew from SIGNA seed what was supposed to be a pure white
form but it turned out to be the usual (delightful!) palest mauve.
Anyone know if there really IS a pure white? And, if so, does it come
true from seed? 

Tim Longville
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