The rock garden at the end of summer will whelm you

Some general views of the rock garden at the end of summer

When volunteering and working in the garden you sometimes hear bits of conversations as visitors pass by. They are frequently not even aware that you are there. Last week I heard two ladies talking and one asked the other why the word whelmed (covered) was always used with the words, over or under, but never on its own? I’d never thought about this. You can use it on its own as in “the wave whelmed the deck of the boat”. We tend to use over whelmed or under whelmed in the context of an emotional feeling, rather than in the context of covering something, I might start using whelmed as an intermediate position. I’m never under whelmed with the rock garden, but on this walk I wasn’t over whelmed, so perhaps I was just whelmed and that’s OK. A whole garden can’t dazzle every day of the year, even if there are bits that do.

Although autumn is still officially only a few days away, the rock garden was still feeling summery when walking around it on 14 September. There was plenty of colour in the Alpine Display House as well. Had I been doing this walk on 14 September 1998, when I got home, I could have watched on TV  “The Royle Family” which premiered on BBC2. For any younger readers this was written by and stared Caroline Aherne and Craig Cash. I doubt it will be a hit, people mainly sitting on a sofa watching television…what do I know.

The western entrance to the fern glade has had a little make-over

With the official opening of the Piet Oudolf border, opposite the fern glade, the entrance to the fern glade has been enhanced. Some additional stone work has been added with planting to be carried out later.

Interest isn’t always about colour

Dryas x suendermanii is a hybrid of Dryas octopetala x D. drummondii and was named for the German botanist Franz Sunedermann (1864 – 1946). The later species hails from Alaska, Canada and Northern United States having yellow flowers. The former is found from Scandinavia to Central mainland Europe including parts of the UK. At this time of the year the flowers have long gone but the seed heads provide continuing interest.

Outside the Alpine Display House there are more pots of Tulbaghia

I showed some of the Tulbaghia that were in flower in my last Wisley diary. There were more in flower outside the display house on this visit. The second picture below is Tulbaghia ‘Purple Eye’, which has smaller flowers than T. violacea. The third picture is T. violacea ‘Pearl’. It is has flowers which are pastel pink in bud that open white, with a slight pink sheen.

Tulbaghia violacea ‘Cosmic’ was raised by Liz Powney from Aberystwyth, Wales in 2004. Liz is a holder of the NCCPG for Tulbaghia. Finally, T. ‘Moshoeshoe’ was noticed by Paul Barney of Edulis Nursery in a batch of seedlings on a Plant Heritage stand at Wisley in 2003. You see how important it is to go to these events, you never know what you might find. I just lack Paul’s expert eye. It was named for King Moshoeshoe 1 (1786 – 1870) who was the founder and first King of Lesotho. It is known as the Kingdom in the sky, as all the country is over 1000m above sea level.

In the Alpine Display House some welcome autumn colour

Haemanthus coccineus is found growing from coastal scrub areas to stony rocky places up to 1200m, throughout the winter rainfall areas of South Africa. It has several common names, such as the blood flower, blood lily or paintbrush lily. I had assumed this was due to the flower colour, but the Dutch name bloedblom was given to it as it was thought to stop wounds bleeding. The leaves can be up to 70cm in length and this pot takes up a lot of space when in full leaf. The genus name is from the Greek haima – blood and anthos – flower. The specific epithet is from the Latin for red or scarlet.

Haemanthus pumilio grows over a very wide range of over 2000km, from the western edge of the Eastern Cape to the Western Cape and up to Namibia, resulting in the emergence of many forms of the species. The specific epithet is from the Latin for low / small / dwarf. Like many endemic plants in S.A it is threatened in the wild from the encroachment of urban sprawl and agriculture.

Nerine masoniorum flowers for three weeks in the wild, growing in the Eastern Cape Province of S.A. It can be evergreen in temperate climates but loses its leaves during the cold dry winters in its home. It has been found in only one location in the former Transkei. First collected by Marianne Mason and her brother who collected bulbs in the late 1920’s. The specific epithet was chosen for them. The leaves are up to 25cm.

Acis autumnalis ‘Pink Tinge’ comes from the Iberian Peninsula and is hardy down to -6C. It grows to 10 -20cm in height.

Acis rosea, the rose snowflake, is a tender species that comes from Corsica and Sardinia in sandy areas close to the sea. This gives an indication of the growing conditions it requires. The flowers are also fragrant.

Sternbergia sicula ‘Arcadian Sun’ was basking in some Wisley sunshine when I took this picture. The genus was named for Count Kasper Maria von Sternberg (1761 – 1838) who was a German botanist and scientist and is regarded to be the father of paleobotany (plant fossils in sedimentary rocks). The specific epithet is from the Latin for from Sicily, where I’m sure the sunshine is brighter than it is at Wisley.

Sternbergia lutea Angustifolia Group comes from around the Mediterranean basin and the Middle East. The specific epithet is from the Latin for yellow and angustifolia means narrow leaved.

Colchicum x byzantinum ‘Innocence’ is the Byzantine meadow saffron. Its origins have been lost in the mists of time as it has been in cultivation for so long. This is a selected white form. Colchicum variegatum is native to Greece and southwestern Turkey growing at altitudes from 150 – 1500m.

Oxalis melanosticta has the common name of the black spotted wood sorrel. The specific epithet is from the Latin for black spotted. I’ve not worked out which part is black spotted yet, I’ll have to look more closely. Some clones are said to be more floriferous than others. It can be found on dry mountain slopes on the Bokkevald Escarpment in the north Western Cape to the western Karoo in South Africa.

Oxalis zeekoevleyensis has a specific epithet that refers to Zeekoevlei, the fresh water lake on the Cape Flats, Cape Town, South Africa. This name in turn comes from Afrikaans seikoei – hippopotamus and viei – pond or lake. It is described as having rosy lilac flowers with a yellow tube. I rather like the idea of seeing a plant from the hippopotamus pond.

Oxalis squamata appeared in an earlier diary but I’m showing it again as it’s still in flower. It comes from Chile and Argentina and is found at altitudes from 1000 – 3200m. The specific epithet is from the Latin for with small scale-like leaves or bracts. This plant was grown from seed this year at Wisley, so you don’t have to wait long for the flowers.

Allium senescens AGM has been historically cultivated in the Westphalian region of Germany. It has the common name ‘Johannislauch’ in Germany, presumably from the old custom that the bulbs are harvested on June 24, the so-called ‘Johanni-Tag’. It’s common name for the rest of us is the German or mountain garlic as well as the ageing allium. The specific epithet is from the Latin for turning hoary, with grey hairs / to grow old. It can be found in northern Europe to Siberia and Korea.

There is a new planting in one of the large bowls on the top terrace

Our young visitors are drawn to the carnivorous plants and quite a few of the older ones as well. One of the bowls has had a makeover, with some Sarracenia and Dionaea muscipula, the Venus fly trap being planted. The genus name comes from the Greek Dione – the mother of Aphrodite (Venus). The accepted reference to this is in the Iliad, but other literary references, such as Hesiod’s Theogony refers to her as being the daughter of Oceanus and another source as being the mother of Dionysus. The specific epithet is from the Latin for fly catching. In the wild it is found in North and South Carolina. It can be propagated by division, seed, leaf cuttings and flower stem cuttings, a technique I’ve not tried yet. The first picture shows the new planting getting some close attention.

A shout out for an unsung hero

On 30 August there was a particularly noteworthy event, which was the retirement of Peter Herman from Wisley, after over 53 years’ service. Peter has been threatening to retire for several years. He started at Wisley in 1971 and worked for many years under the umbrella of the Alpine team but did many building and maintenance tasks throughout the garden. If you’ve walked down steps, along a path, or beside a retaining wall at Wisley, there is a fair chance it was looked after by Peter for many years. There are plans to replace him but nobody will take his place. I wish him well in his deserved retirement.