daphne odora `baker`s gold` * wildside schizostylis * entente cordiale

DAPHNE ODORA ‘BAKER’S GOLD’ * WILDSIDE
SCHIZOSTYLIS * ENTENTE CORDIALE
NCCPG DEVON GROUP
PRESIDENT
Chris Bailes 01805 626861
[email protected]
RHS Rosemoor, Rosemoor Gardens
Great Torrington EX38 7EG
Plant Market Organiser North
Derek Burdett 01769 540528
[email protected]
Fairhaven Nursery, Clapworthy Cross
Chittlehampton, Umberleigh EX37 9QT
VICE PRESIDENTS
John Carter 01822 810275
[email protected]
Rowden Gardens, Brentor
Tavistock PL19 0NG
Plant Market Organiser West
Tim Millar 01822 860302
[email protected]
Glebe, Coryton, Lewdon EX20 4PB
Diane Rowe 01884 840545
[email protected]
Orchard House, Parsonage Farm
Uffculme EX15 3DR
County Events Coordinator
Felicity Dudbridge 01392 811647
[email protected]
Cotley House, Dunsford, Exeter EX6 7BH
Trevor Wood 01626 888947
[email protected]
2 Willens Cottages, Kenton
Exeter EX6 8QH
N Events Organiser
Margaret Jewell 01769 560535
[email protected]
The Croft, Yarnscombe EX31 3LW
Michael Hickson 01884 255544
[email protected]
Bolham Orchard, Tiverton EX16 7RH
S & W Events Organiser
Rob Wagstaff 01548 821320
[email protected]
North Boreston, Halwell, Totnes TQ9 7LD
Chairman
David Brandreth 01363 776371
[email protected]
Brambles, Hookway, Crediton EX17 3PU
Vice Chairman
Mike Squires 01404 822118
[email protected]
I Feebers Cottage, Westwood
Broadclyst EX5 3DQ
Treasurer
Eric Reynolds 01297 625342
[email protected]
Blue Firs, 6 Wessiters, Seaton EX12 2PJ
Secretary
Lyn Allan 01626 821344
[email protected]
Coxland, Sigford, Newton Abbot TQ12 6LE
Membership Management
Sue Cox 01364 653556
[email protected]
66 East Street, Ashburton TQ13 7AX
E Events Organiser Diane Rowe (see above)
National Collections Coordinator
Edna Squires 01404 822118
[email protected]
Plant Exchange (see above)
Newsletter Editor
David Cann 01392 423379
[email protected]
c/o Halbury, Golden Joy, Crediton EX17
1EA
RHS Representative
Jonathan Hutchinson 01805 624067
[email protected]
RHS Rosemoor, Rosemoor Gardens
Great Torrington EX38 7EG
Press Officer
Jenny Fitt 01395 232021
[email protected]
The Stables, Roundbeare, Aylesbeare
EX2 5BD
Committee without Portfolio
Sonia Newton 01647 252263
[email protected]
Sowton Mill, Dunsford
Exeter EX6 7JN
THE MISSION
The NCCPG seeks to conserve, document, promote and make available Britain and Ireland’s rich
biodiversity of garden plants for the benefit of everyone through horticulture, education and science
Plant Market Organiser South
Sally Dean 01803 782949
[email protected]
Thatch Cottage, Aish, Stoke Gabriel
Totnes TQ9 6PS
The history and possibly the only photo of
Daphne odora ‘Baker’s Gold’ are on p 8,
sadly nothing has been discovered about
the survival of Stachyurus praecox ‘Devon
Purple’.
The centre pages detail this years Members
Day with a booking form and we hope to
see and your friends there.
David Cann
MEMBERSHIP RATES:
Single £20
Double £34
Student (up to age 25 in full time
education)
£5
Gardening clubs and non-commercial
groups £30
Corporate £55
Cover photograph: Schizostylis coccinea
‘Pink Princess’. Courtesy: Bryan Russell
Your Committee 2
The Kaffir Lily 4
Bryan Russell is the National Collection
Holder
Daphne odora ‘Baker’s Gold’
8
Its history
News & Events 9
Extra bits and pieces
Landscape Gardening 10
Marie-Elaine Houghton visits Wildside
Area Events14
“Entente Cordiale” June 2007 20
Visitors to Devon
Classified Advertisements22
Printed by:
The Printing Press, 21 Clare Place,
Coxside, Plymouth PL4 0JW
Tel. 01752 250580; Fax 01752 223855
email: theprintingpress@talktalkbusiness.
net
COPY DEADLINE: 25 MARCH FOR PUBLICATION LATE APRIL
THE KAFFIR LILY
The collection of Schizostylis (Kaffir Lily)
in the seaside garden at Cliffe (featured in the
Autumn 2007 Newsletter) was started in 1996
by Mrs. V. Gilbert and myself. At that time there
were only 13 cultivars; now there are some 40
named clones, many of which look very similar,
with 30 represented in the collection at present.
Mr. Alan Kennedy has another collection of the
genus on the Mull of Galloway. In the beginning
I had the grand idea that I would produce a key
to the cultivars but this has not been possible.
The reason is that several of the cultivars are
morphologically identical or so close that with
variation caused by environmental conditions
they are indistinguishable.
Schizostylis are perennial herbs with a short,
slender rhizome and vestigial corms and are
classified in the sub-family Ixioideae of the
Cindy Towe
Iridaceae along with genera like Hesperantha,
Ixia, Freesia and Dierama. The genus is generally considered to have only one species
S. coccinea. Another pink flowered species (S. pauciflora Klatt) has been recognised and
although pink flowers occur occasionally in the wild there is no geographical aspect to the
distribution. Possibly it has been confused with a cultivar with a more slender rootstock,
shorter narrower leaves, and purplish pink
perianth. Since 1996 S. coccinea has been
considered by taxonomists to be a species of
Hesperantha and so the botanists know it as
Hesperantha coccinea; differing from the other
species of Hesperantha only in flower colour
and that it is adapted to wet and waterlogged
soils.
Coming from Southern Africa in the Eastern
Steppe Floristic Region, their natural distribution
is on the Drakensberg escarpment, N.E. of
Cape Province, Natal, Lesotho, Swaziland,
Mpumstanga Province, East Zimbabwe and
Mozambique; occurring mainly between 31°S
27°E and 27°S 30°E with outliers as far north
as 18.5°S 33°E.
They are found in the mountains at high
altitudes by stream sides and marshes where it
Jennifer
is semi-aquatic in permanently or seasonally waterlogged soils. In these areas rainfall is
up to 1.8m per year, with roughly equal wet and dry seasons and wet season being winter.
From the length of the floral tube it is presumed to be pollinated by butterflies and the flower
colour points towards Aeropetes tulbaghia as the particular species in the natural habitat.
Schizostylis coccinea was first introduced to this country from an unknown location in
South Africa in 1864 and illustrated in Curtis’s Botanical Magazine the same year. The
clone (cultivar) S. coccinea ‘Tambara’ was collected wild in Zimbabwe by Lady Beatrice
Drewe in 1956.
Schizostylis are easily cultivated in sun or partial shade, in moist or wet soils. They seem
to thrive in the humid Atlantic seaboard of the British Isles. Organic matter in the soil helps
with moisture retention. Best flowering results from dividing and replanting every second
or third year. They appear to be reasonably hardy throughout the British Isles but flowering
is curtailed by frost in the autumn so that late flowering cultivars like ‘Viscountess Byng’
will not perform well in the colder counties. To prevent self-seeding it is wise to remove
each flower spike as soon as the last flower opens. They are grown commercially as a cut
flower for market and they make very good cut flowers lasting up to six weeks in water.
The typical colour of S. coccinea is ‘Blood red’ (Scarlet); RHS Colour Chart 45b; HCC820.
In cultivars pigment density grades through various shades of pink to palest ‘Magenta’
(HCC625/2) and white.
A good old cultivar with typical colouring but rather taller and with larger flowers is ‘Major’
while ‘Cindy Towe’ is a deeper scarlet. ‘Sunrise’ is a clear pink with broad petals but
the plant has a tendency to sprawl while
the slightly paler ‘Jennifer’ has a more
upright habit and ‘Salome’ has slightly
larger flowers. The pure white cultivars
are small and have very small flowers but
‘Pink Princess’, which is almost white, the
very palest pink, and comes from the same
stable as ‘Jennifer’ is strong and large
flowered. There are two cultivars with pink
flecked petals; ‘Fenland Daybreak’, the
darker and ‘Molly Gould’; both are sturdy
but shorter than most and with smaller
flowers. In between the pinks and scarlets
are a number of cultivars, the oldest of
which is ‘November Cheer’, which are all
very similar.
One of the first problems encountered in
building the collection was that about
seventy percent of acquisitions were either
Sunrise
wrongly labelled or not genuine cultivars at all. I understand that other collection holders
have similar experiences but in the case of Schizostylis there is a good reason. All of the
cultivars set seed and germinate easily and prolifically. Seed is often shed from the earliest
flowers on a spike before the last buds have opened; so unless you are completely ruthless
and vigilant self-seeding is bound to occur. As the seedlings often grow more strongly than
the parent clone it can soon become lost amongst its own seedlings.
Observation over the last thirty years has shown that clones deteriorate slowly over time;
that is they appear to age. All these facts together lead me to suspect that what are offered
as the older cultivars are not the original clones. This is almost certainly true of S. coccinea
‘Tambara’ which is effectively lost to cultivation.
Probably the most frequent question I am asked as a National Collection Holder is “How
do you pronounce it [Schizostylis]”? ‘Schizostylis’ is often mispronounced in a variety of
ways, often by people who should know better, and it leads to some confusion. The name is
compounded from two Greek words σχιζειν (skai-zin) to split or divide and στυλις (stai-los)
pillar. In Reformed Academic Latin it is pronounced (skie-zoa’steu-lis) and in the version
accepted by the Oxford English Dictionary (skai-zoa’stai-lis).
Vowel sounds are less important
than consonants and either of the
above versions is acceptable but
there is no case for (shai-zoa’stailis) which does not sound the “c”,
(skit-zoa’stai-lis) which sounds
a ”t” which is not there or (shitzoa’stai-lis) which commits both
errors and they are best avoided.
The Kaffir Lily then is well
adapted to the climate of western
Britain, excellent as a cut flower
and easy to grow with few pests
or diseases (though thrips will
sometimes mark the flowers and
voles are partial to the rhizomes).
It has a long, late flowering
season, normally four months
from the end of August to the end
of December, all of which makes
it a very garden worthy plant.
Salome
Photos and article by Bryan
Russell who is the National
Collection Holder for
Schizostylis
2007 AGM
The AGM was held in Torquay, in a lovely room overlooking the bay. We had a very good
day with interesting and informative speakers and an excellent lunch, all of which were
much enjoyed by those present.
The morning’s talk was by Ros Smith of the Duchy College at Rosewarne where she is in
charge of a very important project conserving Rhododendron species ( and some Magnolia)
which are threatened with the fungus Phytophthora ramorum, commonly referred to as Sudden Oak Death. Ros uses micropropagation to reproduce many disease free plants which
are distributed to non-affected areas. The project has been funded by Heligan Garden, who
have also supplied much plant material, European Objective 1 money and DEFRA. Only
reduced funding from DEFRA remains and it was a great pleasure to donate £1,500 from
Devon NCCPG towards the continuation of this important conservation work. An article on
the threat and work at Rosewarne was published in The Plantsman, March 2007, a copy of
which can be found on the RHS website.
Peter Gibbs, the weather forecaster and co-chairman of R4 Gardeners’ Question Time, gave
a very good illustrated talk on climate change and its effects. He took many questions from
people and the whole presentation was very compelling and thought provoking.
DAPHNE ODORA ‘BAKER’S GOLD’
With reference to the article on Stachyurus and Daphne
on p.15 of the autumn issue of the Devon Newsletter,
older members may recognise Vic Pawlowski with
Patricia and Ambrose Baker in this picture admiring
the original plant of Daphne odora ‘Baker’s Gold’ at
Keeper’s Cottage, Deancombe in October 1987. Vic
was a very well known and successful propagator, who
had worked at Exbury and Hilliers Nurseries, and who
went on, on his retirement to run a small nursery at
Pound House, Buckland Monachorum.
We asked him to raise several plants of ‘Baker’s Gold’,
grafted, I believe, onto Daphne acutiloba. He had,
however, great difficulty with it. Eventually he managed
to get nine plants going, so we were encouraged by
Lady Anne Berry (now Palmer, our Patron) to show it
at the Early Spring Show of the RHS, where it earned
the Award of Merit. Bloom’s of Bressingham were very interested and took about six of
the plants, but unfortunately they did not flourish in Norfolk. Knightshayes had one of the
plants and Coleton Fishacre another. The latter struggled and gave up and I do not know
what happened to the Knightshayes plant.
We kept the last one which eventually flowered. Meanwhile the parent plant had died, after
many years of glory. Perhaps leaf propagation might have prolonged its life but it was early
days for that method and we had no access to it, being only happy amateurs. This was a pity
as it was a beautiful shrub with a glorious scent.
Patricia Baker, Deancombe, TQ11 OLZ
NEWS AND EVENTS
CHELSEA VOLUNTEER TICKETS
NCCPG have been offered the opportunity by the RHS to quote for the running of the
cloakroom at Chelsea 2008. I understand that this is seen as a cash cow by other charities
who have done this in the past.
The problem we have is that we would need a number of volunteers to staff the facility from
07:30 hours to the close of play each day.
Volunteers will be required to staff the facility for one or two hour periods per day, the
remaining time is theirs to look around the show at their leisure.
Tickets will of course be provided, it should make a good opportunity for members to meet
others from diverse groups across the country as well as take in the display of horticultural
excellence that is Chelsea.
Please contact: Mike Squires, National Shows Committee, (see inside front cover)
MRS DIANE ROWE
A message from Diane vice president: By next season I will have moved - I have been at
Little Southey for 22 years.
My new address: Orchard House, Parsonage Farm, Uffculme EX15 3DR
Tel: 01884 840545 (as before)
NURSERIES AT COUNTY EVENTS
One nursery at a time is invited to sell plants at the Devon Group’s county events, usually
held in March & November. If you are interested in being invited please contact Trevor
Wood, who will sent you more details. Email: [email protected] Post: 2
Willens Cottages, Kenton, EX6 8HQ.
AN APPEAL FROM THE CHAIRMAN
I have had a number of requests and suggestions from members regarding a website for the
Devon Group. This is something we would like to do but are short of two important things
- time and expertise. The Committee is busy reviewing all aspects of our activities. I would
very much like to hear from anyone with an interest in helping to build a website for the
Group, to prepare material or actually construct the site.
We would also welcome ideas and help from anyone with skills or experience in publicity
and publishing.
PLANT MARKET MOVES TO TOTNES
The plant market which has been held at Newton Abbot for the last few years is moving to
Totnes to an indoor venue. The market will be held on Sunday, April 20th 2008 in Totnes
Civic Hall. Ample convenient parking, and refreshments available. We look forward to
your continued support in this new location.
HOSEPIPE BAN ?
The Government has brought in new rules on using water in times of drought. Mercy
Moris, NCCPG Plant Conservation Officer, has lobbied DEFRA and obtained exemption
from any ban for those looking after National Collections.
MAILING CO-ORDINATOR
Gordon Pickard is the new Mailing coordinator, taking over from Sheila Blake who has
retired. He will be responsible for posting the Newsletter once printed.
Phone: 01752 492765. Email: [email protected]
LANDSCAPE GARDENING
Marie-Elaine Houghton joins the Devon NCCPG visit to Wildside, an innovative new
garden landscape created by Keith and Ros Wiley.
Creating a garden from scratch presents not only a great challenge but also a wonderful
opportunity to stamp your own personality onto a site. Keith and Ros Wiley have seized
their chance with both hands and are still in the process of creating a unique landscape out of
what was once a virtually featureless field. Within the four-acre site huge quantities of earth
have been moved and reshaped since 2004 in order to form a landscape of curvaceous 25-foot
high banks through which snake a sinuous network of hollows and channels. Some of these
are being used to direct rainwater
from the new nursery buildings
and tunnels into a pond area that
is currently under construction and
which will eventually run behind
a small cider orchard, all that
remains of the original field apart
from its boundary hedge.
This is not a conventional garden
of views and vistas, or of focal
points and formality but an organic
landscape of plant communities
that not only reflect natural habitats
but also illustrate the effective use
of colour, form and seasonality.
Inspiration may have come from
the autumn colours of native
North American trees and shrubs,
but this is a much richer brew that
incorporates grasses, perennials
and bulbs as well and takes full
advantage of our mild climate’s
hospitality to species from around
the world.
Melianthus
10
The site is very open, both to the
wind and the sun, but by raising
the banks areas of shade and
shelter have been created and this
is being reinforced by the planting of trees like maple, magnolia and Cercis siliquastrum on
the peaks with low-growing mounds of geraniums and Acer palmatum hugging the slopes.
North-facing slopes can be used for shade-loving species that bloom in spring and the
dappled shade being created by the growing trees and shrubs provides the perfect conditions
for woodland plants. However, sunlight and how it is used remains a major feature of the
garden, whether it is creating spotlights and shadows in the heat of the day or slanting
through gold-tinged grasses and glowing red-leaved acers at dawn and dusk.
The naturalistic style
of planting (left) really
comes into its own
in late summer and
autumn when many
of the grasses and
perennials reach their
crescendo. The soft,
tactile
hummocks
of bleached beige
C h i o n o c h l o a
conspicua, Hordeum
jubatum and Eragrostis
airoides weave their
way amongst a tapestry
of richer, deeper shades
provided by upright clumps of burgundy Imperata cylindrica ‘Rubra’, fleshy mounds of
purple-flushed Sedum ‘Red Emperor’ and ‘Matrona’ and dazzling spikes of orange Kniphofia
‘Little Elf’ and ‘Bressingham Comet’
and golden Crocosmia masoniorum
‘Rowallane Yellow’. Cooler shades are
provided by creamy Aster divaricatus,
the soft blue of A. ‘Little Carlow’ and
pastel pink of ‘Coombe Fishacre’ and
A. lateriflorus ‘Buck’s Fizz’, while
Chrysanthemum ‘Tapestry Pink’ brings
a dash of sugar candy. On a sunny day
this planting is alive with the buzz of
bees and busy fluttering of butterflies
that are particularly attracted to Verbena
bonariensis and a bold clump of
Eupatorium purpureum ssp. maculatum
‘Atropurpureum’. However, the display
Aster ‘Little Carlow’
11
is not confined to summer’s end
as the gracefully dying forms of
Calamagrostis acutifolia ‘Overdam’,
Molinia caerulea ssp. arundinacea
‘Windspiel’ and Salvia verticilliata
attest.
In contrast with the drought tolerant
grasses and plants, the low-lying pool
is surrounded by moisture-loving
primula, astilbe, iris and Filipendula
rubra ‘Venusta’ but perhaps more
unusually with South African plants
like kniphofia, restios and Melianthus
major that appreciate the summer
rain. Carex flagellifera and Libertia
peregrinans ‘Gold Leaf’ contribute
bronzy notes to complement the
dying astilbe blooms, all offset by the
creamy tones of Stipa tenuissima and
Kniphofia ‘Maid of Orleans’.
Colour and form are used to great
effect in other areas of planting as
well, most notably where shade and
Eupatorium purpureum ssp. maculatum
sun are added to the mix of green and
gold offset by a touch of purple-leaved sedum and blue-flowered asters. Here, the bold
foliage and rounded golden flower heads of Euphorbia mellifera and its less well-known
cousin E. stygiana are under planted with the strappy leaves and domed pineapple-like heads
of Eucomis bicolor and punctuated by clumps of exotic yellow-flowered Zantedeschia.
This colour is reflected in the soft, grassy under planting of Millium effusum ‘Aureum’ and
Hakonechloa macra ‘Aureola’ and the nodding flowers of native Welsh poppies, punctuated
by spiky fans of Sisyrinchium striatum.
Winter and spring interest can be seen on one of the sheltered slopes where hellebores,
heathers and snowdrops are followed by thousands of crocus and extensive collections
of Epimedium and Erythronium, including the Wiley’s own Epimedium grandiflorum
‘Wildside Red’. Trillium nestle in shady corners along with the delicate tracery of ferns
like Polystichum setiferum ‘Pulcherrimum Bevis’ and Polypodium vulgare ‘Cornubiense
Grandiceps’, while the sunnier spots are occupied by neat little clumps of dianthus, Erodium
‘Purple Haze’ and Origanum ‘Kent Beauty’.
12
Yet another new landscape style remains to be created in a further area of the garden where
the site will be left exposed to the full effects of wind and sun and the earth has been
stripped completely to reveal the naked rock below, creating a home for ground hugging
alpines, drought and sun-loving hummocks and yet more grasses. This is a garden to be
visited again as it matures or for the first time to appreciate a new perspective on creating
gardens and landscapes where the plants take centre stage.
Pond & bridge
Wildside – Green Lane, Buckland Monachorum, Devon PL20 7NP
Phone: 01822 855755 Email: [email protected]
Open on Thursday from March to October, 10 am – 5 pm.
Admission costs £3 for adults, children are free.
The garden is located ¼ mile west of Buckland Monachorum, from the A386 follow the
brown tourist signs to The Garden House but continue on through the village of Buckland
Monachorum and after 300 yards take the turning signposted on the left.
13
AREA EVENTS 2008
All events in each area are open to members and members’ guests. Charges (including tea and
cakes) except where otherwise stated: members £3 per day and members’ guests £4. All events
will take place whatever the weather. May we ask you to respect the owners’ privacy and not enter
before the time specified.
EAST DEVON
Area Co-ordinator: Diane Rowe, Orchard House, Parsonage Farm, Uffculme EX15 3DR.
Tel. 01884 840545. Email: [email protected]
NORTH DEVON
Area Co-ordinator: Mrs Margaret Jewell, The Croft, Yarnscombe, Barnstaple EX31 3LW.
Tel.: 01769 560535.
SOUTH AND WEST DEVON
Area Co-ordinators: Jan & Rob Wagstaff, North Boreston, Halwell, Totnes TQ9 7LD.
Tel: 01548 821320.
Email: [email protected]
Sat 9 February
10.30 am
11.00 am
MARWOOD HILL
Coffee.
Guest speaker Kevin Houghs talk/slides on trilliums. Walk around
Marwood Hill’s early spring garden.
Lunch1pm, £10.00 head.
2.30 pm
Talk on Japan by Barry Starling.
Cost
Cost for lunch £10.00 head. Contact Margaret Jewell 01769 560535.
Fri 15 February
2.00 pm prompt
Cost
Tues 26 February
10.45 am
14
VISIT TO STRETEGATE CAMELLIAS, SLAPTON
Grid ref. SX 827444
BOOKING ESSENTIAL £2 per person. Contact Jan & Rob Wagstaff
By kind permission of Michele & Steve Watson. A ‘behind the
scenes’ visit to a wholesale commercial nursery which propagates
camellias: over 20,000 a year, with a stock of 60,000 plants for sale
to nurseries & garden centres, including the RHS. This is possibly
the only propagation facility on this scale in the UK solely dedicated
to camellias.
NB. The site is steep & getting around some areas of the nursery
may be difficult for members with restricted mobility. There are
limited facilities & it is likely to be cold. The visit will be limited to
20 people so that the owners may demonstrate techniques & guide us
round the site giving explanations as we go.
Please book with us by telephone: directions will be sent after
booking. Plants for sale at much less than retail prices.
WINTER LUNCH AT RATTERY VILLAGE HALL
Grid ref. SX 739615
BOOKING ESSENTIAL - contact Edwina Pickard, details below.
Coffee & plant sales prior to a talk at 11.30 by Julian Sutton:
Cost
Directions
Mon 10 March
2.30 pm
Directions
Thurs 3 April
2.30 pm
Directions
“Further adventures with strange perennials” followed by lunch at
1.00pm. Meat dish or vegetarian alternative (please state choice
when ordering tickets); puddings & coffee.
Please send SAE for tickets (£10.00) to Mrs E Pickard, 11 Peter’s
Close, Elburton, Plymouth PL9 8NU. Cheques should be made
payable to NCCPG Devon Group.
From Totnes take A385 west towards the A38 & Plymouth; turn R
where signed to Rattery & follow NCCPG signs in Rattery village.
VISIT TO FLETE WALLED GARDEN
Grid ref. SX 628515
Contact Jan & Rob Wagstaff - BOOKING NOT NECESSARY
The 2 acre walled gardens which used to serve the Flete estate still
contain the old greenhouses, vine & peach houses & their boiler
room etc, together with large open areas within the walls with old
fruit trees & where flowers, fruit & vegetables were produced for
the house. New tenants have recently taken a 25 year lease on &
are restoring this historic site. The various facilities are used to
keep their large collections of Hepatica, Cyclamen, Galanthus,
Primula etc. They are working with the NCCPG towards Provisional
National Collection status for Helleborus, Polypodium, and Vireya
rhododendrons. This collection of tender Vireya rhododendrons, with
125 varieties, thought to be the largest in Europe. Teas & Plant Sales.
Take the A379 Modbury to Plymouth rd. Flete House is about 1½
miles W of Modbury almost opposite the junction with the A3123 rd
to Ermington & Ugborough. Turn into the main drive to Flete House
& then follow the NCCPG signs.
VISIT TO HIGHER KNOWLE, LUSTLEIGH
Grid ref. SX 792807
Contact Jan & Rob Wagstaff - BOOKING NOT NECESSARY
By kind permission of Mr & Mrs. D R A Quicke. A 3 acre garden
developed over many years amongst oak woodland with massive
granite boulders on the edge of Dartmoor. The views of the moor
provide a wonderful backdrop to this lovely garden. There is a
wealth of spring flowering trees, shrubs & bulbs & the whole is
carpeted in primroses & bluebells. The garden’s (& the Quickes’)
speciality is magnolias, with mature specimens of the Asiatic
varieties & the more recent hybrid magnolias. Despite its location
on the edge of the moor the garden also houses a lovely young
specimen of Michelia doltsopa which flowers happily without any
shelter. There are also many camellias & rhododendrons. David
Quicke will be available to lead a group around the garden & to
share his passion for magnolias with us. Teas & Plant Sales. Limited
parking; car share with friends if possible.
From the A38 take the A382 towards Bovey Tracey &
Moretonhampstead. Continue past Bovey Tracey for 2.8 miles &
turn L just past thatched cottage towards Lustleigh. Take 1st L & then
immediately R following NCCPG signs.
15
Mon 12 May
6 pm onwards
Directions
EVENING VISIT TO DELAMORE, CORNWOOD
Grid ref. SX 601601
Contact Jan & Rob Wagstaff - BOOKING NOT NECESSARY
By kind permission Mr & Mrs Gavin Dollard. A return visit by
members’ request. The present house & garden were created for
Admiral Parker in 1859, in the grounds of an older estate. The
garden of 6 acres features a collection of mature rhododendrons,
azaleas & pieris, together with magnificent ancient trees. Beautiful
terraces & herbaceous borders to the front of the house.
In addition to this wonderful garden, members will have free access
to an exhibition of sculpture & art. Wine & savouries. Plant sales.
Charge £5.00 for both members & guests.
From A38 take Lee Mill exit & follow road signs to Cornwood
(i.e. past Tesco supermarket). Continue through Cornwood towards
Yelverton. After quarter mile, turn L through gate into Delamore.
Tues 13 May
MIDDLE MARWOOD and WESTCOTT BARTON
11 am
Middle Marwood by kind permission of Doctor & Mr. McCaie.
Lunch1 pm, £8.00 head.
After lunch
Westcott Barton, A walk around their garden after lunch.
Cost
Cost for lunch £8.00 head. Contact Margaret Jewell 01769 560535.
Mon 16 June
2.30 pm
Directions
Fri 27 June
11 am
Directions
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VISIT TO BARNFIELD, KINGSBRIDGE
Grid ref. SX 735446
Contact Jan & Rob Wagstaff - BOOKING NOT NECESSARY
By kind permission of Mr & Mrs J Browning. Behind this town
house lies a surprising garden of about 2 acres. Masses of roses, a
garden terraced down through less formal areas & a vegetable plot.
This mid summer visit will be enhanced by a special strawberry tea.
Bring & buy plant stall: please propagate some of those treasures
you all keep & bring clearly labelled plants to share. (NB Plants will
have to be carried from the public car park, so no massive bamboos!)
Also usual nursery plant sales. Strawberry tea.
Barnfield, 116 Fore Street, Kingsbridge is on the upper section
of Fore Street just above the Cookworthy Museum. Park on the
public car park at the top of Kingsbridge, which can be accessed by
driving up Fore Street from the bottom or from the newer road past
Somerfield’s supermarket. Park as near to Fore Street as possible;
walk to Fore Street, turn L & walk up hill for about 100 yards.
Barnfield will be signed on the L.
GARDENING IN THE BLACKDOWN HILLS
Clapps Cottage, Upottery EX14 9PF. David Reeks & Martin
Bowen. With wonderful views down the Otter Valley, this half acre
W facing garden is surrounded by Devon banks covered in native
shrubs & wild flowers. The garden has a good atmosphere, a “sense
of place” & the mixed borders contain an interesting selection of
herbaceous plants, bulbs, grasses & shrubs.
From Honiton take the A30 eastwards. Continue past the junction of
Lunch
2.30 pm
Directions
Cost
Wed 2 July
Evening
Cost
Sun 6 July
12.30 pm onwards
Cost
Directions
the A30 with the A303 (about 6 miles E of Honiton). Immediately
after this junction, there is a large lay-by on the R with a cafe,
immediately after this take the small L turn on the bend. (This
turning is not signposted but it has speed de-restriction & end of
freeway signs at its entrance) Follow NCCPG signs from here.
The York Inn, Churchinford or picnic in the Village Hall car park
at Smeatharpe. From Clapps Cottage continue along the lane
until T junction, turn L, follow lane, at any crossroads follow
signs for Churchinford. Turn R at T junction into Lisieux Way for
Churchinford. The York Inn is in the centre of the village (TA3
7RF).
Springdale, Smeatharpe EX14 9RF. Dr & Mrs G Salmon. A
developing 2 acre plantsman’s garden set amidst 18 acres of SSSI
in the Blackdown Hills AONB. Extensive planting of choice trees,
shrubs & perennials enhances this varied habitat. Waterside & alpine
beds, complemented by cacti & Auricula collections. Damp, acid
garden designed for plants, wildlife & people to enjoy.
Return along Lisieux Way, turn R into Slough Lane, L at the end &
R into village hall car park. Or, from Honiton take A35 exit from
A30, turn R on the slip road for Dunkeswell. Follow the road up to
top of hill & bear R for Smeatharpe. Travel through the village until
you see the village hall on your L.
Cost for the day will be £5 to include tea/coffee & biscuits/cake, plus
a donation to the Blackdown Support Group. Contact Helen Brown
01404 850941.
SUPPER AT MARWOOD HILL
The National Collections of Astilbe and Iris ensata will be at their
best.
Cost £8.00 head. Contact Margaret Jewell 01769 560535.
SUMMER LUNCH AT BICKHAM HOUSE, KENN
Grid ref. SX 914844
BOOKING ESSENTIAL - Contact Edwina Pickard, details below.
By kind permission of Mr & Mrs J Tremlett. Set in a secluded
wooded valley this 7 acre garden with its lake, wildflower banks,
mature trees surrounding lawns & herbaceous borders with unusual
perennials provides a beautiful setting for our summer lunch. There
is also a very old 1 acre walled garden, which was remodelled &
replanted for the millenium, part formal kitchen garden & part
decorative palms surrounding a millenium summerhouse. Add an
Edwardian conservatory & a formal parterre garden & every taste is
catered for. Plant sales, drinks & lunch.
Please send SAE for tickets (£12.50 for members & guests) to Mrs
Edwina Pickard, 11 Peter’s Close, Elburton, Plymouth PL9 8NU.
Cheques should be made payable to NCCPG Devon Group.
From the A38 dual carriageway, about 2 miles S of M5 junction 31
take exit signed Kennford & Kenn & follow the road into the village
of Kenn. Turn R & follow the NCCPG signs.
17
Thurs 24 July
11 am
Directions
Lunch
2.30 pm
Directions
WITHIN SOUND OF THE SEA.
Contact Pat Attard 01395 266750.
Liz Read, The Rustlings, 3 Sherbrook Hill.
Take the main road out of Budleigh toward Exmouth. Turn L up
Sherbrook Hill. The Rustlings is a short way up the hill on the L.
Limited parking on the road.
Cafe in Budleigh or continue to Exmouth & picnic on the beach.
Littleham House Cottage, 11 Douglas Avenue, Exmouth by kind
permission.
This 3 quarters of an acre cottage garden is hidden away up a long
drive near Exmouth seafront. Herbaceous borders full of colour,
foliage and flair. Winding paths lead you to horticultural surprises
round every corner. Herbaceous borders with geraniums, salvias,
Romneya coulteri & Agapanthus. Organically grown vegetables,
herbs and a variety of fruit and ornamental trees – something for
everyone. Featured on BBC “Open Gardens”. Gravel paths.
Quarter of a mile from E end of Exmouth seafront. Go E along
seafront, turn L at by Fortes Kiosk into Maer Rd. Public carpark on
R, 250 yd walk to garden. A little unrestricted parking in Douglas
Avenue for disabled.
Tea & cakes available, proceeds to NCCPG. Plants for sale (please
bring any surplus).
FULL DETAILS OF THE FOLLOWING EVENTS WILL BE IN THE NEXT
NEWSLETTER
Tues 5 August
VISIT TO MIDDLE WELL, STOKE GABRIEL Grid ref. SX
858576
BOOKING NOT NECESSARY
Tues 19 August
Cost
STEPPS COTTAGE, HORWOOD NR BARNSTAPLE
£8.00 head. Contact Margaret Jewell 01769 560535.
Wed 3 September
VISIT TO LOWER KERSE, THURLESTONE Grid ref. SX
689432
BOOKING NOT NECESSARY
Sat 11 October
Cost
MARWOOD HILL
£8.00 head. Contact Margaret Jewell 01769 560535.
Thur 16 October
VISIT TO BOWRINGSLEIGH, KINGSBRIDGE Grid ref. SX
717445
BOOKING NOT NECESSARY
18
COLLECTIONS CORNER
This is Mary’s last Collections report. After 10 years working with the many National
Collections in Devon, she stood down at the AGM in November. We take this opportunity to
thank Mary for all the hard work she has put in over the years, and to give her our very best
wishes. The photograph shows Mary with the picture she was presented with at the AGM.
The Vireya rhododendrons have been successfully
moved from Fairweather’s in Hampshire to Andy Byfield
at Flete so this will soon be on our list. Andy will also
be applying for the Hellebore collection (already moved
from Hampshire) in 2008 and a polypodium collection,
also in 2008.
I’ve begun working with Matt Bishop at the Garden
House, Buckland Monochorum on a collection of hardy
hybrid nerines including those which were bred by Terry
Jones. He is also planning to apply for a collection of
Colchicum garden cultivars which, when I visited, were
looking wonderful: I’d always thought of them as rather
anaemic looking but I got a wonderful surprise at some
of the vibrant colours!
Sadly we’ve lost David Fenwick’s collections of Amaryllis, Eucomis and Galtonia, Crocosmia,
Tulbaghia, Freesia Anomatheca, as his arthritis is now precluding him from looking after his
plants. We shall miss him and thank him for all the collections work he has done in the past:
he has passed a lot of plant material on to other keen collectors.
This is my last Collections Corner report as I’ve decided, after 10 years, to hand the baton over
to Edna Squires, who many of you will already know. She has been working with NCCPG for
many years so knows all the ropes! I’ve so enjoyed meeting so many interesting people and
thank you for your kindness and friendship through the years: I’m looking forward to seeing
lots of you at forthcoming events.
Mary Gretton
National Collections Co-ordinator
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“ENTENTE CORDIALE” JUNE 2007
(IN THE RAIN!)
Lyn Allan writes about the return trip a group of French gardeners made to visit their hosts,
members of Devon NCCPG
At the end of June, members of a gardening group called “Le Jardin Passion” returned a visit
made by some members of the Devon Group last year to Lannion in Brittany.
These exchange visits have been happening for
a few years now and are enjoyed enormously by
those participating. Some of us are even going to
improving French lessons (“O” Level is in the dim
and distant past). As a few of our guests don’t speak
much English, the conversation is sometimes hugely
hilarious as we try to make each other understand
what is happening - it’s the tenses that beat me and
I’m sure the folk I was driving round didn’t know
if we WERE going or we HAD been somewhere.
Driving round the Devon lanes with my limited
navigation abilities and speaking French was rather
like patting your head and rubbing your tummy at
the same time! We meet members who have taken
part several times as well as new participants, both
French and English. It is very informal with people
staying at each other’s homes, having days out all
together and then evenings spent together usually
at a member’s house with bring and share buffets
and of course, plenty of wine.
This year, our guests were met on the Friday evening near Bickington, having driven up
from the ferry port at Plymouth, and taken to their respective hosts in Ashburton, the Teign
Valley and Exmouth. The logistics are fairly complicated with everyone being so far flung
and we had great fun planning the long weekend. Everyone has their favourite garden and
we tried to accommodate all tastes and provide a good variety of English gardens for our
guests to visit.
Fortunately, the Moretonhampstead Secret Gardens were open that weekend, so on the
Saturday, some of us went to a few of them, then the whole group all met up at a pub in
Postbridge for lunch. Afterwards we set off for Wildside near Crapstone and the Garden
House.
What a surprise as you walk round the mounds of bare earth to be met by the most amazing
planting. Keith Wiley led us round, explaining his plans for the future, with us trying to
20
translate for our guests. It really was stunning. Keith has such vision and enthusiasm and
we wait impatiently for the S & W visit there in the autumn to see how everything has
progressed and what different plants are in flower.
Sunday morning, we all met at Muriel Wickland’s lovely garden for coffee and home made
cakes then set off for the Moretonhampstead gardens. A wide variety of gardens open; small
village gardens with enthusiastic owners delighted to show us round as well as grand houses
and gardens. Quite a few of the owners greeted our guests in French which was much
appreciated. We had a pre-arranged lunch at a beautiful Jacobean house, then had time to
see more local gardens.
The afternoon visit was to South Kenwood, a garden open for the NGS on that day. It is a
fairly new garden, beautifully landscaped whose head gardener took us round. Our French
friends were thrilled to be able to buy plants there and were delighted, as we were, with the
garden.
At 6pm, we visited one of our group’s garden near Exmouth. What a challenge they have,
for the previous owners had become infirm and unable to tend it, but the structure is there
and Richard and Anna have great plans to return it to its former glory.
Our evening buffet was
at Pat and Phil Attard’s
house in Exmouth, where
Phil and some helpers
had prepared a delicious
cold buffet and some
divine puddings, greeted
with great enthusiasm
by our guests (and us of
course!).
Monday morning was
an early start as we were
driving up to Marwood
Hill for a guided tour and
lunch. As with most of the previous visits, it was raining but we were all prepared, lending
out macs, wellies and umbrellas, determined not to be beaten by the weather. The weather
had been the same in Brittany so the French were prepared and not daunted by the rain
- that’s “proper” gardeners for you! Malcolm Pharoah led us round and the garden was, as
usual, wonderful. It was surprising how the plants had stood up to the constant rain.
In the afternoon, we visited Gorwell House, where over the last 30 years Dr Marston has
made of a sloping meadow a garden of engrossing interest, exploiting the mild climate of
the site to plant a multitude of rare and tender trees and shrubs. He has brought back many
of them himself from plant collecting expeditions to South America and China. From the
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highestarea of the garden your attention is cleverly drawn by the planting to the view of the
broad sea and distant Hartland Point. A reminder of the immense distance from which so
many of the plants originate, yet they are happily growing here, in Barnstaple, thanks to the
expertise and care of John Marston.
On our way to our evening buffet in
Ashburton, some of the party were able to
make a brief and tantalising visit to Marilyn
Jevon’s delightful garden in Doccombe,
where she has persuaded her husband Peter
to construct terraces up their steep site for
her to plant, and her effective choice of
plants shows evidence of her background in
design.
For our evening buffet, we gathered to Sue
Cox’s house in Ashburton for a hot meal of warming casseroles, gratefully received by all
as it had been a very wet and chilly day. It was a wonderful farewell evening, rounded off
by a noisy rendition of Auld Lang Syne in simultaneous English and French. We were half
expecting a knock on the door from neighbours we were singing so heartily. One of our
guests said that the politicians could talk all they liked, what we were doing was the best
example of “Entente Cordial”.
They set off the next morning for the ferry back to Brittany - you could hardly see them in
the cars, for the greenery surrounding them. We all parted company with the most wonderful
glow of friendship, much hugging and kissing and looking forward to our return visit next
year.
22
CLASSIFIED ADVERTISEMENTS
“CHATHAM ISLANDS’ FORGET-ME-NOTS” for sale. 9cm pots = £1.95,
1 litre = £2.95, 2 litres = £4.50, 3litres = £4.95, 5 litres = £7.95, 10 litres = £9.95. 25%
reduction if bought and collected by 29th February, 2008. Hidden Valley Nursery,
Umbeleigh, Devon EX37 9BU. Tel: 01769 560567. Email: [email protected]
FANTASTIC FUCHSIAS AT SUNDIAL GARDEN, 700+ varieties, many rare (100+
hardies); 200+ named pelargoniums. Also good range of hardy plants with a sprinkling of
treasures for the connoisseur. Pleasant mature garden being rescued and replanted including
many hardy fuchsias, open daily all year, café and shop. On the A35 at Offwell, Honiton. Tel:
01404 831549. Fuchsia/Pelargonium catalogue £1.50 + S.A.E. or on www.sundialgarden.co.uk
ELWORTHY COTTAGE PLANTS, Jenny Spiller, Elworthy Cottage, Elworthy,
Lydeard St Lawrence, Taunton, Somerset TA4 3PX. Tel:01984 656427. Clematis &
Unusual Perennials, especially hardy geraniums, geums, grasses, ferns, epimediums,
pulmonarias, crocosmias, campanulas, snowdrops and violas. Open 10.00am to 4.00pm
Thursdays mid March to end July. Visitors welcome at other times March to October,
please ring first. 1 acre plantsman’s garden open at same times as nursery, admission
£2. Groups welcome. Plant list: 3 x 2nd class stamps. www.elworthy-cottage.co.uk
BREGOVER
GARDEN NURSERY, Middlewood, Nr. Launceston, East
Cornwall PL15 7NN. (off the B3254) Interesting range of hardy border plants,
Crocosmia, Violets. Catalogue: 3 x 1st class stamps; SAE for violet list. Open from
March to mid October, Wednesdays 11am to 5pm. Nursery and cottage garden
at weekends by appointment. (NGS opening end of May) Tel: 01566 782661.
BICTON COLLEGE GARDEN, ARBORETUM AND PLANT CENTRE,
East Budleigh, Devon EX9 7BY Specimen trees, including famous monkey puzzle avenue.
National Collection of Pittosporum. Herbaceous and mixed borders, with good collections
of tender perennials. Unusual plants and shrubs for sale at sensible prices. Full and part-time
courses in horticulture offered for all ages at various levels, including a one day workshop
series.
Visit the website www.bicton.ac.uk or ring 01395 562400 for more information. Garden and
Plant Centre open daily 10am to 4pm, March to October, closed winter weekends.
Rates for advertising in this Newsletter.
Classified Ads
Display Ads
per issue
3 issues
£10
£25
Black & White
Colour
per issue
3 issues
per issue
3 issues
Quarter page
£15
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