On this day – August 2024

On this day in 1932 the Lego Group was founded in Billund, Denmark, by Ole Kirk Christiansen. The name of the group is a contraction of the Danish words ‘leg godt’ which translates into English as play well. They started making wooden toys such as airplanes, cars, yoyos and ironing boards. In 1949, with the benefit of the newly invented injection moulding machines, plastic bricks were added to the inventory. It’ll never catch on in my opinion, better to stick with what you know. I’m available to critique business ideas at any time. Other plastic bricks are now available.

As I walked round the rock garden on 10 August, there were no Lego bricks, but there were a few Shaun the Sheep characters to entertain the kids. There were lots of interesting plants to see, in my opinion. Sadly nothing from Denmark, but then what do I know, see above…

In the fern glade (and a couple of other places on the rock garden)

Eurybia divaricata is known as the white wood aster. It grows in dry open woodland in eastern North America from the Appalachian mountains to south-eastern Canada. Later in the year it will have little fluffy seed heads. The genus name comes from the Greek eurys – wide and baios – few. Eurybia was also a goddess in Greek mythology who had power over and mastery of the sea and its controlling forces. I like the idea of a goddess in the fern glade. The specific epithet is from the Latin for wide or spreading.

Also growing in the fern glade, Luma apiculata is known as the Chilean, or orange-bark, myrtle. It grows in the Central Andes in Chile and Argentina. The flowers are fragrant and has evergreen foliage. Its soft black is aromatic and edible berries are produced later in the season. I’ll let you know what they taste like in a future diary entry. In the wild it will grow into a small tree 10 -15m tall and wide. It’s much smaller in cultivation at 3m. The genus name comes from the indigenous Mapuda peoples name for the plant. They used the leaves and bark to treat coughs, colds and bronchitis. We are now fortunate enough to enjoy modern alternatives from a pharmacy near you.

I included a few carnivorous plants in my last diary

There are many more Sarracenia plants in the carnivorous bed that I’ve not mentioned so far in these diaries. Sarracenia x courtii is a natural hybrid of S. purpurea x S. psittacina. The parent plants come from northern Florida and southern Alabama. It was named to honour the nineteenth century botanist and hybridizer William Court.

Sarracenia ‘Colin Clayton’ AGM was named in 2016. Colin was one of the three original founders of the Victorian Carnivorous Plant Society in Australia. It is a cross of (leucophylla x (leucophylla x (flava var maxima x purpurea))). And you thought BODMAS maths rules were complicated (Brackets, Orders of powers, Division, Multiplications, Additions and Subtractions).

S. readei is another natural hybrid. It was collected first by Mr. L.H. Reade. The information I’ve seen has the parentage as S. leucophylla x rubra, other sources state S. leucophylla x S. alabamensis subsp. wherryi. We can still enjoy it, no matter what its origin is.

Who was Mr Pinard?

I have come across many different genus with species named pinardii, such as Aubretia, Fritillaria, Ranunculus, Muscari, Centaurea, Stachys, Salvia, Scrophularia, Vernascum and Pterocephalus to name just a few! I couldn’t find out who Mr Pinard was, other than he collected plants in 1843 – 1846. I’m therefore indebted for the help from Dr. Pratap C Panda who supplied the following information. ‘Dr. Chr. Pinard was a Turkish botanist, who collected flowering plants between 1843 – 1846. He collected material from Egypt, Israel, Syria, Turkey and Saudi Arabia. This was sent to the famous Swiss botanist Alphose de Candolle (A. DC) and P. E. Boissier. Most of his collections / duplicate herbarium specimens were also sent to British taxonomist George Bentham at Kew. They were included  in the work Prodromus Systematis Naturalis Regni Vegetabilis (commonly known as “Prodromus”) which was compiled by his friend (A.DC)”.

So now I know. He must have had a very good eye to collect so many plants un-described by science at the time. He must have been very well thought of, to have so many plants named for him.

In the cushion house

Pterocephalus pinardii can be found growing in the Greek Aegean Islands to Turkey, in screes and on rocky limestone slopes between 1000 – 1800m. At Wisley it’s growing in some tufa. The genus name comes from the Greek pteron – a wing and kephale – a head, relating to the appearance of the senescent flower heads. Also growing in the cushion house, Acantholimon ulicinum has the common name of prickly thief. It grows on stony slopes and limestone screes from Greece to Turkey. The genus name is from the Greek akantha – thorn and limonium – sea lavender, to which it is related. The specific epithet is from the Latin for resembling Ulex (gorse).

Erodium reichardii was named in honour of the German physician and botanist Johann Jakob Reichard (1743 – 1782). It has the common name of alpine geranium or storksbill. Away from Wisley it can be found growing in the mountains of Corsica and Majorca.

There are still some jewels on the crevice garden

Gentiana paradoxa is endemic to the foothills of the greater Caucasus Mountains near the Black Sea. It’s common name is the Caucasian gentian. The specific epithet is from the Latin for strange, unusual, unexpected. It grows to 20cm tall and will thrive in sun or part shade.

Epilobium ‘Pumilio’ (syn. Zauscheneria ‘Pumilio’) has flowers described as red-orange. The specific epithet is from the Latin for dwarf. pigmy or midget.

As expected, in the Alpine Display House there is less colour than earlier in the year

x Rhodoxis ‘Jorien’ is a seedling from Rhodohypoxis deflexa x Rhodoxis ‘Hebron Farm Pink’. It was named in 2015.

Acis autumnalis ‘September Snow’ has flowered a little earlier than its name but hopefully the snow will keep away for a while longer. It was raised by Antoine Hoog from seed of material collected in Corsica by Vladimir Vasak. It is native to Mediterranean Europe and authorities state it can flower from July / August to September / October. It has clear white flowers with almost no pink colouring at the base of the petals.

When I saw Heliosperma alpestre ‘Flore Pleno’ I thought it was a plant that I didn’t know. However, I used to know it as Silene. When did that happen, don’t answer. The AGS encyclopaedia notes that this plant has narrower leaves than H. alpestre and the petal claws are glabrous, so it may be related to H. pusilla. It grows in the Eastern Alps, northern Balkan peninsula on open stony places at 1200 – 2500m. It has the common name of the double flowered catchfly.

There are more Sempervivums in flower

The flowers may not be stunning but they are interesting, such as the ones on Sempervivum ‘Othello’. It was awarded an AGM after the RHS Sempervivum trials in 2005 – 2008. The plant was raised by C.V. Sponnier, from Germany. It is a cross of S. marmoreum x S. tectorum.

Sempervivum x thompsonianum is a natural hybrid of S. macedonicum x S. octopodes. It was found by Mrs (Maud) H. P. Thompson, who collected many Sempervivums in the Balkans. It grows in limestone crevices at 2000m, on the Stogovo Planina, Balkan peninsula and into Macedonia. In gardens it is not fussy about its growing medium, provided it is well drained. Sempervivum ‘Pekinese’ was raised by Sandy MacPherson and named by Helen E Payne in 1975.

Rosularia muratdaghensis was collected from Murat Dagi (Mount Murat) in Western Turkey, in 1962 by Peter Davis, Professor of Taxonomy at the University of Edinburgh. It is grown as a foliage plant as it didn’t flower for 26 years. If you enjoy more success in getting it to flower, please let me know.

Jovibarba heuffelii ‘Mystique’ was raised in 1981 by Bill Nixon, an American hybridizer. It is described as having rich red foliage edged with fine white hairs along the leaf margins. I’ve even surprised myself by capturing this detail in my picture. The specific epithet is to honour Johann A Heuffel (1800 -1857) an Hungarian physician and botanist.

Let’s talk about some spiders

To be fair, there are always a few spiders hiding in the display house but try not to be scared. Arachnoides davalliaeformis is known as the spider fern or shiny bristle fern. The genus name come from the Greek arachnion – spider’s web. This plant is evergreen and found in the southern part of the Japanese Islands. The specific epithet is from the Latin davallia – a genus of ferns named after the Swiss botanist Edmund Davall, and formis – resembling. The name in effect means a fern resembling another fern. I thought plant names were meant to be helpful. It thrives in a moist, well drained medium in partial to full shade.

Sempervivum arachnoideum var. bryoides has tiny red rosettes covered in heavy white webbing. The red colouration is stress induced by the sun or in winter by frost. It grows in the mountains of Europe: the Pyrenees, Alps, Apennines and Carpathians at 280 – 2900m. The specific epithet is from the Latin for cobwebbed and bryoides – moss like.

Not scared yet, but would you go into the spiders lair?

Sempervivum ‘Spiders Lair’ was raised in 1999 by Ingwersen’s Nursery and awarded an AGM in 2008.

A few more general views of the rock garden on a (warm if not too sunny) summer afternoon

Other alpines of interest from the main rock garden

Sedum selskianum ‘Goldilocks’ was introduced by Jelitto seeds in 2006. The plant can be found growing on rocky hillsides of the Amur river between China and Russia. Some authorities have this plant as Phedimus selskianum, the RHS recognises the former name.

Cryptomeria japonica ‘Compressa’ is known as the Japanese Cedar. The genus name is from the Greek kryptos – hidden and meros – a part, referring to some latent characteristics. The specific epithet is from the Latin for from Japan or Japanese. It forms football sized plants. Playing a game with one this shape might be interesting as its shape resembles a rugby ball.

When I see the first flowers of Cyclamen hederifolium appearing in the garden, I know that there is less summer ahead than behind us. The specific epithet is from the Latin hedera – ivy and folium – leaved. The species occurs throughout the Mediterranean, from southern France to western Turkey, in woodland, shrubland and rocky areas.

Another miniature tree is Ginkgo biloba ‘Mariken’. It is slow growing, 60cm x 60cm after 10 years. It was found as a witches broom in Nijmegen, Holland, growing in the Kronenburgen Park. The name Mariken van Nieumeghen is from a medieval Dutch text from the early 16th century. It’s about a young woman named Mariken who spends seven years with the devil. It was made into a film in 1974, but you probably knew that.

Since my last diary entry, the team have been busy repotting the Narcissus, Nerine and Thunbergia collections. They have also been pruning, weeding and watering all across the rock garden, as you do at this time of year.