(Fwd) re: report on June 17

------- Forwarded Message Follows -------
From:          Self <pick>
To:            Mediterranean Plants
Subject:       re: report on June 17
Date:          Thu, 17 Jun 1999 18:42:03

Dear Medit-planters

It is early evening, the sky is pitch black and the cloud base very 
low and flat. Somewhere out there, over the Southern Ocean and the 
Gulf St Vincent a massive electrical storm is rolling, rushing and 
roiling our way. Storm warnings are out to tie down anything that 
might blow away, bring in sheep to shelter and be prepared for power 
cuts, blackouts and downed trees.

So while dinner cooks and before the few flowers are shattered by the 
iminent hail stones I will record that we have few plants in bloom. 
In fact only five come to mind after an intensive foray into 
the garden last Sunday afternoon. Down low there are plenty of 
Cyclamen coum in an astonishing variety of leaf patterns and colour 
selections. These are largely seed grown plants raised from 
expeditions made by UK members of the Cyclamen Society to Turkey, 
Greece, the eastern islands of the Med etc. There are also a few from 
UK based seed specialists such as Archibald's, Basil Smith and John 
Moreley. In most cases the flowers are still developing but we have 
blooms on TURKISH PRINCESS, MEADEN'S CRIMSON, STIRLING SILVER and 
many with site/ location/ acquisition numbers. As it is too dark to 
go out and review them I shall have to content myself with saying 
that so far there are a number of outstanding bi-colour forms and 
some deep dark pinks ('reds' according to the enthusiasts). Allied to 
coum is Cyclamen parviflorum which is a very diminutive form with 
tiny drak green, round leaves and miniature pink/ lilac/ mauve-ish 
coloured flowers.

Still low down - and with the rain beginning to pelt down and the 
wind rising quickly - are several batches of crocus seedlings raised 
from seed collected around the Med. by members of the Crocus Group. 
These, like the cyclamen, are actually not wild collected but grown 
on from small batches of wild collected seed that are grown on for 
generations and hand pollinated to preserve the diversity of each 
species and sub-species. Right now there are only various forms of 
Crocus laevigatus with delicate lilac blooms heavily feathered dark
grey; one form has a solid patch of dark colouring on the back of 
each petal while others have buff coloured patches under the 
feathering and over the base lilac colour. Crocus aureus will soon be 
showing its brilliant gold orange cups to the sun - if it ever shines 
again after tonight's showdown with the weather. 

About the be thrashed by the hail half a dozen forms of Iris 
unguicularis have been unfurling their buds for several weeks. Tiny 
slugs - undaunted by slug baits - are making a meal of many of the 
flowers but still they come, and for many more weeks yet I think. I 
have two white forms; one puny and the other by reputation stronger 
and more floriferous. Then there is 'cretensis' a diminutive form 
from Crete, 'Mia' a dark flowered cultivar, 'Striata' a pale blue 
with virus-sy looking purple stripes, 'Marginata' with a silver edge 
to each petal, the common form and yet to flower this year 'Walter 
Butt' and 'Mary Bernard'.

There are camellias too, including some nice seedlings of my own 
raising from old Japanese single cultivars - the kinds with small 
flowers favoured as promoting serenity and a contemplative spirit 
so necessary to taking part in a Japanese Tea  Ceremony. I am 
fortunate that these, once established here, come through summer's 
drought with no watering. We have two old Japonica types that are 
over 100 years old, they've survived all this time, even weathering 
bushfires with no extra water. They do have a heavy mulch of old 
camellia leaves. Camellia grijsii is just beginning to open its 
butterfly style white flowers - delicious scent and fine dark green 
rugose foliage.

 As the hail starts crashing on the roof, and the cats take off to 
hide under the furniture I come to the last thing flowering - a few 
early twigs of Hamamelis x JALENA. My favourite shrub, at least for 
this time of the year. I had planted it before I had the pleasure of 
meeting it's namesake at Courson. It lives on the edge of a 
grey-water soak but seems none-the-worse for the slightly sudsy 
water, or for the constantly wet soil. In the end it may serve to 
soak up all the water that goes out from the kitchen. Beauty and 
utility combined.

Time to set the table and open the wine for a pre-dinner drink.

regards

trevor n

-----------------
Trevor Nottle
Garden Writer, Historian,     
Lecturer and Consultant 
       
    'Walnut Hill'                          
     5 Walker St       
     Crafers SA 5152 
     AUSTRALIA

Phone: +618 83394210
Fax:   +618 83394210
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