re: Spring notes

Dear Medit-planters

Spring lasted exactly 3 days. We had a very dry and deceptive winter, things look green and lovely but the rains which came early and heavy were not backed up by good follow-on rains. Consequently all the late winter flowers looked glorious in the cool, mild, calm weather; daffodils were particularly dilly, while camellias have been splendid - except for those Reticulata's that had hundreds of huge fat buds chomped by pesky possums. Hellebores have been good too and I have had very pleasing displays from H. x sternii and its cultivated forms 'Boughton Beauty' and Ashford Strain 'Boughton Beauty'. Helleborus odorus, H. cyclophyllus, H. argutifolius, H. orientalis (collected by Will McLewin in the former Yugoslavia) and H. lividus - in 3 different collected forms have all been excellent.

Towards the end of winter the delicious scents of Viburnum x Juddii, V. carlesii and Azara microphylla have been very dominant on the still warm air, especially in the late afternoon and early evening. Even some of the perfumed Camellias have been noticeable where they are usually barely there unless you stick your nose right in them. Scentuous, Scented Gem, Fragrant Pink, Nioi Fubuki and Camellia grijsii have been most appreciated.

And then, of course, there are all the wonderful Tazetta and jonquil narcissus - Grand Primo Citroniere, Scarlet Gem, Paper-white, N. x odorus, N. x biflorus, N. canaliculatus, N. jonquilla, N. tazetta, Soleil d'Or, Grand Monarque, Cragford, Medusa, Silver Chimes, and all the rest, so willing in Mediterranean climates. I try to buy a half dozen bulbs of one or two new varieties to add to the garden each year. They make the most of the winter rains and are 100% drought tolerant.

In a huge terracotta pot I have a thick group of single flowered bright scarlet Anemone coronaria inter-mixed with Tulipa tarda - tiny white flowers with a yellow basal blotch, and a few purple leaved Euhorbia dulcis 'Chameleon'. The pot sits under the shadow of a large Euphorbia mellifera with a surround of Euphorbia characias and a solitary mound of Ferula communis.

All this was swept away when winter returned with a savage blast on September 2. First the day temp. soared to 29C with hot, dry winds from the North and the whole sky was dull brown with high dense clouds of dust from the deserts of central Australia. By night the wind had completely reversed but was even stronger - gusts of over 100Km per hour recorded on close by hilltops and then it poured with rain and hail and mist. Our few magnolias were dashed - veitchii, proctoriana, Alexandrina, stellata and others all gone until next year. But a few new flowers have emerged since then. Peonia cambessedesii has opened its buds unscathed and lots of Tree Peony seedlings and some named hybrids have plenty of buds to open within a week or two. I even found 5 seedlings of P. russii where an old plant died completely over 7 years ago. Scattered around the garden in sunny spots, free of tree roots, are small colonies of P. lithophylla, P. biebersteiniana, P. mollis, P. rhodea, P. hellenica, P. emodi, P. mlokosowitschii and some other species.

Sparaxis are also strong at this time. I have several dozen different colour forms all collected from old cemeteries around here. Looking in late 19thC nursery catalogues it is plain there were several hundred named varieties about in those days. I venture to suggest my plants are descended from those early colonial garden flowers.

I couldn't forget the two forms of Prunus campanulata that have been in bloom too: the plain dark wine red form and the pale pink hybrid 'Okame'. The former looks stunning against a hedge of the golden variegated Algerian Ivy. It lights up any grey winter day.

I think that's about it for the time of year - and anyway it is dinner time, so i need to open the wine and get to the table. Bon apetit.

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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