Armistice day 11 November 2024

A time to remember, reflect and be grateful

There are some days that you don’t have to look up to find a historical reference. Today is one of those. Having observed a two minute silence at 11am, I set off to Wisley. My thoughts, as always, were with my distant relatives that didn’t survive the First or Second World Wars. A great uncle was killed on the first day of the Battle of Loos on 25 September 1915, Private William McCall (S- 4883 Gordon Highlanders). He was 22 years old and was one of the soldiers to answer Lord Kitchener’s call “your country needs you”. He has no marked final resting place as do half of all the British soldiers killed in both world wars. Rudyard Kipling’s (author of the Jungle book and the poem If) son John was also killed in this battle. One of William’s brothers died in 1919 of the Spanish Flu, having survived two years in the trenches. A great nephew, once removed, survived the beach landings at Anzio in 1944 where he was a landing craft coxswain. Having survived the war he passed away in 1946 from tuberculosis. I am grateful to all the men and women of the Armed Services who have sacrificed so much for the life we lead today.  The on-going conflicts around the world reminds us that the lessons of the past still elude us.

In the Alpine Display House, no poppies but plenty else to see today

A lovely red Nerine, not a poppy but a similar colour. It is un-named. Nerine sarniensis is known as the Guernsey lily, the specific epithet being the Latin old name sarnia – for Guernsey. There is some research that shows this might have been the Latin name for the Island of Sark instead. I’m sure that debate will continue.

Galanthus elwesii (Highdown 457 Dwarf) was a selection from bulbs collected at Highdown garden, created by the horticulturalist Sir Frederick Claude Stern (1884 -1967). The bulbs were sent to Michael Hoog at van Tubergen in the Netherlands, who then propagated them.

The next plant is Nerine humilis from Montagu, South Africa. This is a town in the Western Cape province. The town was named after John Montagu (1797 -1853) who was the secretary of the Cape Colony.

Crocus laevigatus can be found in open stoney or rocky places from 0 – 600m in Greece, south of Euboea, Attica, Peloponnese and the Cyclades. It can be in flower from October to April. The specific epithet is from the Latin for smooth or polished referring to the inner tunics on the corms. I’ll have to look for this feature when they are next re-potted.

Empodium veratrifolium is found growing on coastal parts of the Western Cape where it enjoys mild wet winters and hot dry summers. It is threatened due to habitat loss. The leaf bases are surrounded by several blackish cataphylls (reduced small leaves) that hold the leaf bases in place, a feature yet again I’ve managed to avoid capturing in my picture. The genus name was created by Richard Anthony Salisbury FRS an English botanist, as you do. The specific epithet is from the Latin vera – true and trifolium – three leaved.

Not all the trees are outside in the garden

Ulmus parvifolia ‘Hokkaido’ looks like a perfect bonsai. The genus name is the old Latin name for an Elm and this particular one can be found in China, Korea and Japan. Its specific epithet is from the Latin parvi – small and folia – leaved and it certainly has very small leaves; they are tiny. The variety name is for the second largest of the four main islands of Japan.

Thuja plicata ‘Haley Bop’ is a very dwarf western red cedar. It was found, as a seedling, at Weyerhaeuser tree farm by Dick North, who named it after the comet in 1996. The comet was named for Alan Hale and Thomas Bopp who independently saw it on the night of 23 July 1995. The comet won’t be seen again until 4385. I’ll put a reminder in my diary to look out for it. It only grows about 6mm a year and the plant is about 10cm tall. The genus name is from the Latin thuia or possibly thuon the name of resin bearing trees used as incense. The specific epithet is also Latin for folded / pleated, referring to the leaves.

Pictures of the Alpine Display House showing some of the treasures that could be seen

In addition to the feast for the eyes there was also lots of wonderful scent.

Petrocosmea begoniifolia has the specific epithet which translates from the Latin as begonia leaved. I don’t grow begonias so I don’t know how alike the leaves are. Michel Begon (1638 – 1710) was a French botanist and he was the administrator of the historic naval port of Rochefort on France’s Atlantic coast. The genus Begonia was named in his honour. The second picture of a different plant shows the leaf detail.

Narcissus cantabricus subsp. cantabricus var. foliosus is one of the white hoop petticoat narcissus. It was initially thought to come from the Cantabria area of northern Spain. It was later confirmed that it was from southern Spain, the Balearics, Algeria and Morocco, but too late for a name change. In the wild it flowers from December to January.

Crocus ochroleucus grows in mainly semi-shaded areas in South West Syria, Lebanon and North Israel. It grows at 300 – 1500m. The specific epithet is from the Latin ochro – yellow and leucus – white, the colours of the flowers.

The Maple trees continue with their autumn display

Acer palmatum ‘Fireglow’ is the maple on the left hand side of the first picture, certainly has a fiery red colour at this time of year. On the right hand side of the first picture is Acer palmatum ‘Okushimo’. The cultivar name means salt and pepper which may relate to the small dimples on the mature leaves. I’ll have to have a close look at this to confirm the description. It produces a vase shaped plant as the branches are upward facing. The edges of the leaves also curl upright, almost tubular in form.

Acer palmatum ‘Shishigashira’ AGM the cultivar name means lion’s head, hence its common name the lion’s head Japanese maple. It had dark crinkled leaves in the summer, which are just starting to turn colour. It appears to be doing this from the top down this year. Another feature I’ll have to pay attention to, to see if this is an annual trick or just this year.

Acer palmatum ‘Elegans’ is the third maple on the right hand side of the picture below. Awarded an AGM in 2012, it was named in 1881 as Acer palmatum ‘Septemlobum Elegans’ by George Nicholson. He was the Curator of Kew (1886 – 1901). It is described as having yellow to bright orange and tinted red leaves in the autumn.

Picea sitchensis ‘Tenas’ is the blue ball on the right hand side of the picture. The common name is the Stika spruce, this being a compact form. There is a white reverse to the needles that gives a silvery appearance to the foliage. The specific epithet is from the Latin for from the costal island of Sitka, Alaska. It grows on the northern Pacific coast, south-central Alaska to northern California and reaches 80cm in 10 years. The variety name ‘Tenas’ comes from the Chinook Jargon, meaning small. It was selected due to its spherical shape and the density of its needles.

Pinus parviflora ‘Negishi’ AGM is the Japanese white pine on the left hand side of the picture below. It comes from Japan and Korea and has silvery bluish – green needles, reaching 1 x 0.6m after 10 years. A popular choice used to create bonsai. The variety name comes from an area and a Forest park at Yokohama.

Juniperus communis ‘Horstmann Pendula’ is another weeping juniper selection by the late German nurseryman Gunter Horstmann. The species is native to northern Europe, North America and Asia Minor. Its specific epithet is from the Latin for growing in clumps or gregarious. The branches are certainly weeping down.

There’s always room for some Geek mythology in my diary

Euonymus alatus ‘Blade Runner’ has several common names such as the burning bush or the winged euonymus. The genus name could have two sources. From the Greek en – good and onoma – a name; name of good repute.

The other source, which I prefer, is from Greek mythology. Euonyme was the mother of the Furies. This was not the American indie rock band from Rhode Island. They were three divine goddesses who would punish those who needed it. Alecto (Anger), Magara (Jealousy) and Trisiphone (Avenger) were said to be fair in their judgements but cruel. They sound like characters out of the Gladiators… Alecto ready… They were said to be born from the blood of Uranus (God of the Sky) and Gaea (Mother of the Earth) in one version of the legend, in other versions it’s from Nyx the female goddess of the night, where the word night comes from. The specific epithet is from the Latin for winged (alluding to the prominent corky wings on the stems).

This particular selection has wider and more prominent wings. It was introduced by Roy Lancaster OBE, in 1998. The fruit capsules will split open to reveal the seeds later in the season.

Alstroemeria ‘Summer snow’ (‘Gasumsnow’) has been flowering now for months and has been very happy in the Fern glade. This variety was bred by Hilverada Florist from the Netherlands who have a breeding and propagation business. They register their products under the brand name Summer Paradise. The genus name was to honour Baron Clas Alstromer (1736 – 1794) who was a student of Carl Linnaeus.

Callicarpa bodinieri var. giraldii ‘Profusion’ AGM is a Marmite plant (other brands of yeast spread are available) with visitors liking it or hating it. A common name being the beauty berry. The genus name is from the Greek kallos – beautiful and karpos – fruit. The specific epithet was named to honour Emile Marie Bedinier (1842 – 1901). She was a French missionary and amateur botanist. The variety name was to honour Giuseppe Giraldi (1848 – 1901} an Italian missionary. Both collected plants in west and central China. This is the most common cultivar as it produces more fruits than the other earlier cultivars, you might even say a profusion. Forsythia giraldiane is also named in his honour.

Before I started volunteering at Wisley I hadn’t appreciated there were autumn flowering Camellia. The following two examples were created at the Paradise Nurseries owned by Bob Cherry in the 1970’s. He produced many cultivars now having the Paradise Brand. The species is found in southern Japan and China at altitudes up to 900m. They have semi-double flowers which are fragrant and can be white or pink. The genus was named by Carl Linnaeus to honour George Joseph Kemel (1661 – 1706) who was a Jesuit missionary. He travelled in Asia and the far East, settling in Manila in the Philippines. A pharmacist and naturalist he collected material and sent it back to Europe as well as writing about the flora he saw. As he was also known as Camellus, that was the name used for the genus. The first two pictures are of Camellia sasanqua ‘Paradise Blush’.

The second two pictures are of Camellia sasanqua ‘Paradise Belinda’.