The Alpine Gardener - June 2015 by gregloadesags

340 THE ALPINE GARDENER

Alpine Gardener the

JOURNAL OF THE ALPINE GARDEN SOCIETY

VOL. 83 No. 2 JUNE 2015 pp. 120-233

the international society for the cultivation, conservation and exploration of alpine and rock garden plants

Volume 83 No. 2

June 2015

Alpine Gardener THE

CONTENTS 155 174

121 EDITOR’S LETTER 123 ALPINE DIARY

A tribute to Michael Upward; readers’ letters.

130 ROBERT ROLFE’S DIARY Burgeoning borders are best, and why plant collectors can be a pest.

150 EXPLORATION An introduction to this special feature.

152 BOOK REVIEW

Tim Ingram on Flora of the Silk Road.

155 THE SILK ROAD:

HIMACHAL PRADESH

Liz Knowles treads carefully in treacherous terrain.

174 PERU

Harry Jans and Daniel Montesinos on the AGS tour.

192 MOUNT HERMON Oron Peri on an Israeli flora.

200 MOUNT ANNE

Ken Gillanders explores a Tasmanian peak.

192

June 2015 Volume 83 No 2

PRACTICAL GARDENING

140 MINIATURE PINES

200

Dave Riley, an accomplished grower of these very dwarf conifers, passes on his expertise.

148 HOW TO GROW IT Chris Lilley on Trillium grandiflorum.

212 PRIZE PLANTS

Beautiful exhibits from this year’s South Wales, Harlow Early Spring, Loughborough, Kendal, Kent and East Lancashire shows.

220 PICTURE PERFECT

Doug Joyce presents the winners of the AGS Photographic Competition. COVER PHOTOGRAPHS

Front: Meconopsis sp. (Zeng Gang, see page 220). Back: Cypripedium tibeticum from Flora of the Silk Road (Christopher Gardner, see page 152).

ON THESE PAGES

Left: Corydalis crassissima; Gentianella ernestii; Romulea nivalis. Right: Ranunculus gunnianus; Sempervivum arachnoideum; Scilla libanotica grown by Bob and Rannveig Wallis.

220 212

Published by the

Alpine Garden Society

The international society for the cultivation, conservation and exploration of alpine and rock garden plants, small hardy herbaceous plants, hardy and half-hardy bulbs, hardy ferns and small shrubs AGS Centre, Avon Bank, Pershore, Worcestershire WR10 3JP, UK Tel: +44(0)1386 554790 Fax: +44(0)1386 554801 Email: ags@alpinegardensociety.net Director of the Alpine Garden Society: Christine McGregor Registered charity No. 207478 Annual subscriptions: Single (UK and Ireland) £32* Family (two people at same address) £36* Junior (under 18/student) £14 Overseas single US$56 £34 Overseas family US$62 £37 * £2 deduction for direct debit subscribers Printed by Buxton Press, Palace Road, Buxton, Derbyshire SK17 6AE. Price to non-members £8.00 Second-class postage paid at Rahway, New Jersey. US Postmaster: send address corrections to AGS Bulletin, c/o Mercury Airfreight International Ltd. Inc., 2323 Randolph Avenue, Avenel, NJ 07001. USPS 450-210.

Editor: John Fitzpatrick Tel: +44(0)1981 580134 Email: editor@agsgroups.org Associate Editor: Robert Rolfe Tel: +44(0)1159 231928 Email: robert.rolfe@agsgroups.org Practical Gardening Correspondent: Vic Aspland CChem. MRSC Tel: +44(0)1384 396331 Email: vic.aspland@agsgroups.org Custodian AGS Digital Library: Jon Evans Tel: +44(0)1252 724416 Email: jon.evans@agsgroups.org Custodian AGS Slide Library: Peter Sheasby Tel/fax: +44(0)1295 720502 To advertise in The Alpine Gardener please call or email the AGS Centre (details above) The Editor welcomes contributions of articles and photographs. Please call or email the Editor to discuss relevant formats for photographs before sending. The Editor cannot accept responsibility for loss of, or damage to, articles, artwork or photographs sent by post. The views expressed in The Alpine Gardener do not necessarily reflect those of the Editor or of the Alpine Garden Society. The Alpine Gardener is published four times a year in March, June, September and December.

www.alpinegardensociety.net

This issue of The Alpine Gardener is dedicated to the memory of Michael Upward, 1932-2015

The Alpine Garden Society’s stand at last month’s Chelsea Flower Show

ichael Upward, who died in April, dedicated so much of his life to the Alpine Garden Society that it is impossible to overstate his contribution, both as our Secretary for 35 years and as a volunteer in so many other areas. Despite his deteriorating health in recent years, he was a regular at his local Cotswold and Malvern Group and, with his wife Primrose, made the effort to get to AGS shows whenever he could. The high regard in which he was held was evident at a thanksgiving service for his life at Pershore Abbey, with more than 300 in attendance, many of them AGS members. Robert Rolfe

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A fond farewell to Michael Editor ’s letter gives an appreciation of Michael’s life on the following pages, and this issue of The Alpine Gardener is dedicated to his memory. We offer our sincere condolences to Primrose and her family, and she has asked that I include the following message: ‘Primrose Upward and family wish to thank most sincerely all those members 121

EDITOR’S LETTER who sent cards and letters and attended the thanksgiving service for Michael. Your support and kind words have been overwhelming. His life centred on the AGS and he enjoyed walking, judging and travelling with you and having fun times. Just remember them.’

ongratulations to the alpine nurseries that exhibited at the Chelsea Flower Show last month on their various medals and awards. The AGS did not stage a garden at this year’s show, though we did have a stand to promote the Society, which featured a two-tier raised bed planted by Christopher Grey-Wilson and Ray Drew. This was much admired and photographed throughout the show. The AGS was given a three-star trade stand award by the RHS. Gold Medals were picked up by Tale Valley from Devon, Edinburgh’s Kevock Garden Plants, Avon Bulbs and Jacques Amand International, based in Middlesex. Harperley Hall Farm Nurseries from Northumberland was awarded a Silver-gilt Medal, but any disappointment was short-lived when it received the President’s Award for his favourite exhibit in the Great Pavilion. A Silver-gilt also went to Rotherview Nursery from East Sussex for a display of planted troughs, while Banks Premier Alpines received a Silver Medal. Interestingly, the displays by both Tale Valley and Harperley Hall featured only woodland plants, which meant that the only three examples of ‘alpine’ planting in the Great Pavilion came from Kevock, Rotherview and Banks. Harvey’s Garden 122

Plants also won a Gold Medal for a fine display of woodlanders, but in the AGS we wouldn’t normally consider it an ‘alpine’ nursery. It seems clear that there is growing enthusiasm for woodland plants, both among nurseries and the gardening public. Of course, these are plants in which AGS members already take a great interest, yet trying to communicate this to visitors to the AGS stand was fraught with difficulty. ‘Why are you interested in woodland plants if you’re the Alpine Garden Society?’ was a typical response. Emphasising that we are also a keen Society of bulb growers or that we avidly cultivate hardy orchids gave rise to even more perplexed expressions. It’s all very well that within our Society we are comfortable including such plants when we refer to ‘alpines’, but the view from outside is very different. In this respect the Society’s name is a handicap and does not reflect the wide range of plants in which members take an interest. The general perception is that an alpine is a small plant from the mountains, nothing else. Not a bulb, not an orchid, not a woodlander and certainly not a Meconopsis, which were the most admired plants in the AGS raised bed at Chelsea. How do we tackle this? How do we ensure that the Society is able to benefit from the increasing interest in woodland plants? I would like to hear your views, but in my view it is clearly an issue that our Trustee Board has to address. If our name doesn’t reflect our wider interests to the gardening public, we have a problem. John Fitzpatrick THE ALPINE GARDENER

ALPINE DIARY JIM ALMOND

Michael and Primrose Upward admiring their fine specimen of Verbascum ‘Letitia’

he Alpine Garden Society’s 86year history is richly adorned with influential figures who have ably steered its course. Only one, Michael Upward, has been to the forefront for well over half that span. Michael, who died in April, held office as Secretary and was the AGS’s indefatigable figurehead and most widely recognisable face from 1961-96. He served latterly as a Vice-president and was well known for his spontaneous candour, but equally for his charm and dry humour. Long before AGS records and transactions were computerised, between the closure of the London office and the much later move to Pershore, much of the Society’s documentation

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A formidable stalwart of the AGS was stored in Michael’s Woking house or in the back of his Volvo estate car. His tenacity, his willingness to travel countrywide in order to set up or support Local Groups, his persuasiveness when it came to winning someone round and his attendance at many hundreds of committee meetings all proved invaluable to the Society. He was never afraid to enlist help: ‘You’ll do,’ he said on the first occasion we met, 123

ALPINE DIARY orchestrating the transfer of a dozen heavy boxes of the AGS Bulletin from his car boot to that of the editor, Roy Elliott. He was always in the thick of English horticulture, for while alpines occupied much of his life, his interests included all sorts of other plants. The Lye End nursery that he and his devoted wife Primrose took over was renowned for its border perennials. He was once secretary of the ‘Hort Club’ at Westminster; a member of the RHS Joint Dianthus Committee in the 1960s; onetime editor of The Flower Arranger; treasurer of the Hardy Plant Society from 1962-71; chairman of a Plant Heritage group; had an association with the Worshipful Company of Gardeners from 1969-2013; and was a Royal Horticultural Society judge who, in his later years, regularly assessed the exhibits at the Gardeners’ World Live show in Birmingham. Being on the same panel, as we raced round to appraise foxgloves, pelargoniums, pinks, sweet peas and heaven knows what else, was always entertaining. If he liked an exhibit he was unstinting in his praise. If he didn’t, he would raise his right arm to head height, bring it down swiftly in the manner of someone pulling an oldfashioned lavatory chain, and blow a raspberry to underline his opinion. He lectured extensively and entertainingly, sometimes inventively. Once he turned up with the wrong set of slides but nevertheless gave an unfazed presentation, synthesising them with his existing set of notes as if nothing was amiss. Often the lecture would concern one or other of his many trips abroad in search of plants. The anecdotes would flow – bizarre and inedible items served 124

up in a Yunnan hotel restaurant; the idiosyncrasies of some participants on the AGS tours he led (the idiosyncrasies of the leader, too, which he recognised and found amusing); setbacks of one sort or another that one might imagine had acquired a patina of embellishment, but not so. Having met most people of note in the world of horticulture, he was in a position to debunk, and occasional shared his insider’s viewpoint with a wider audience. One example will suffice. In the early 1980s, Michael was flown to Switzerland (his favourite destination, although he travelled much more widely throughout his life) by the BBC as consultant for a programme on alpines as part of the very popular series, Geoffrey Smith’s World of Flowers. Viewers were treated to the sight of Geoffrey, gasping for breath, struggling to reach a lofty knoll in order to have a private audience with Eritrichium nanum, the King of the Alps. Telly trickery, Michael dismissively reported: the perspiring presenter had been driven to within a few feet of the spot. Michael himself was not keen on roughing it, and his participation on the reconnaissance stage of the 1983 AGS seed-collecting expedition to East Sikkim, which he played a large part in organising, tested his good humour. At Yoksum, he reported, the travel lodge was ‘not a recommended venue for the fastidious’. He contracted food poisoning, a weakened knee required bandaging and it rained in torrents. On the return trek, when the weather brightened up, he suffered sunburn and exhaustion. At first I didn’t recognise the THE ALPINE GARDENER

ALPINE DIARY JIM ALMOND

Michael Upward in his garden at Pershore, where he lived out his retirement

gaunt figure who hailed me at a Vincent Square show a few weeks later. He was never a plant collector and heartily disapproved of those who took a trowel with them to the mountains. Nonetheless, he made one of the finds of the trip, a dazzling form of Cassiope fastigiata from near Dzongri that his fellow expedition members christened ‘Mike’s White’. One of them, Barry Starling, distributed a few plants of this and one came my way. It grew so well that I was foolishly tempted to lift it for an outing to the Harrogate Show, from JUNE 2015

which it never recovered. Michael, who had a fondness for the plant, reacted to the unfortunate news of what was possibly the last specimen in cultivation with the rejoinder: ‘Stupid boy!’ (I was nearly 40 at the time) in a pitchperfect reprise of Dad’s Army’s Captain Mainwaring dismissing Private Pike. Around this time Michael was either author or co-author of a run of books. Of these the earliest, An Illustrated Guide to Alpines (1983), has a rather gaudy cover that its refined, bibliophile author regretted: the elegant line 125

ALPINE DIARY drawings, by Maureen Holt, were much more to his taste. The Rock Garden Month-by-Month (1996) he wrote with Michael Jefferson-Brown, while The Complete Book of Gardening involved five authors, including the noted horticultural journalist Alan Toogood, with an introduction courtesy of Alan Titchmarsh for good measure. Michael wrote from time to time for this journal, too, at first in the form of a Secretary’s Page that was soon abandoned, as the anthologist Clandestina from 19952004, and occasionally he contributed articles on his mountain journeys. The paperback Garden Design (1988) reflected another great interest, for he was highly skilled in this discipline and his advice was widely sought. His talents were abundantly evident in his last two private gardens in Worcestershire (where he moved when the Society’s headquarters relocated to Pershore in 1991), and publicly through the Chelsea Flower Show garden exhibits with which he was involved from the outset, in 1969. One recalls several such occasions in the 1990s when he, Kath Dryden and his long-standing friend Mary Randall, all formidable, all had different ideas about how to tackle the planting. This led to a ‘creative dynamic’ with the happiest of outcomes, the more so when Michael once nipped in when backs were turned and completely replanted an area he felt wasn’t up to the mark. A couple of the outdoor gardens on the onetime rock bank stand out. The one he masterminded to celebrate the Society’s Diamond Jubilee in 1989 was a triumph, and for all that he claimed that the press eulogies were ‘embarrassing’, in truth 126

he was delighted. But his crowning achievement was surely the garden with the theme ‘Magic of the Mountains’, staged in 2000. A television interview shows a spruce Michael, Panama hat in place, arms folded and in actor mode, with a bemused expression as he explains the spectacular construction and planting to an admiring Monty Don. When Michael was taken ill a few days later, the genial Monty was among the first to send a ‘get well’ card. Much more could be said about his tireless involvement in the world of horticulture. He was a chameleon figure, owlish or impish, serious or deadpan and droll as the occasion and company dictated, parson-like (the church played an enduring role in his life) but with a touch of the country squire thrown in. An Establishment figure but a renegade, he could remember a time when you had to be seconded by an existing Fellow in order to be admitted to the RHS, when most committee members addressed one another by their surnames, and when the AGS AGM dinner was a grand affair held at a Knightsbridge hotel. In 1979 his fellow veteran committee member Anthony Huxley wrote in the 50th Anniversary AGS Bulletin that photographer Jimmy Downward once provided a photograph of Michael, captioned ‘E.M. Upward, by Downward’. I can’t trace this, and suppose it might be apocryphal, but it was the sort of juxtaposition that would have brought forth a gleeful chortle from Michael, who had a keen sense of the ridiculous but took his custodianship of the AGS very seriously to very good effect. Robert Rolfe THE ALPINE GARDENER

ALPINE DIARY

From Professor Paul Krause, Cranleigh, Surrey

would like to follow up Ian McDonald’s letter in the March issue of The Alpine Gardener (page 9) about the use of peat in horticulture. As well as the impact on wildlife, there are the following negative consequences of peat extraction (and other forms of exploitation) on moorland:  Rapid run-off of water from upland areas leading to increased flood risk downstream.  Water from these catchment areas contains high levels of brown colouring and peat sediment that needs expensive cleaning.  The sediment that is flushed out to sea damages marine environments, as well as of course throwing away a national asset (see below).  Exposed peat reacts with the air to release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere (the emissions from damaged peatlands in the UK being equivalent to that of three large cities). In contrast, habitat recovery schemes such as the Humberhead Peatlands that Ian mentions have the following benefits (and others):  The obvious wildlife and biodiversity improvements, which in turn have important economic gains from tourism and amenity.  Steady carbon capture as the peatland recovers.  A massive reduction in the cost of purifying drinking water from these catchment areas. JUNE 2015

The price we pay for peat extraction Letters

 A reduction in flood risk through the natural elasticity of these upstream storage areas. Very often, the cost of these habitat recovery schemes can be quite low – it is mainly a matter of joined-up thinking between all the key stakeholders. This is indeed an area where wildlife trusts and other conservation organisations are helping to realise real economic and carbon reduction benefits for us all. Depending on the specific context, the return on investment can be somewhere between four and 63 times the cost of the habitat restoration scheme. Many organisations and universities, such as my own in Surrey, are working hard to change the economic and political landscape so that everyone understands the real benefits of greater coherence in planning and policymaking. It is a complex area and my (deliberately) short letter just scratches the surface. For more detail, a first port of call is Tony Juniper’s excellent book, 127

ALPINE DIARY What Nature Does for Britain. In the meantime, collectively as gardeners we can push back against peat extraction by using other, and better, products. In addition, do also follow John Fitzpatrick’s example (The Alpine Gardener, March 2015, page 12) and use wood chips as a mulch on your garden – over time this will build up a rich soil and lock up carbon. You will, of course, need to compost wood chips for a while before spreading them around vegetables and perennials, but they can go on to woodland/shrubby areas straight away to suppress weeds and progressively build up fertility. From Chris Chadwell, Chadwell Seeds, Berkshire

here is some splendid news from Nepal. Til Jung, my main assistant on my expeditions to the Himalaya, and his wife are alive in Kathmandu (his children live elsewhere) following the earthquakes there. There is, however, much bad news. His rented room and its contents have been destroyed, so the couple are now living outdoors. Even neighbours whose houses have survived have been too frightened to stay inside.  We’d like to hear your views about articles in The Alpine Gardener, and also about your experiences of growing plants or searching for them in the wild. Please write to the Editor at the AGS Centre (address on title page) or email editor@agsgroups.org. 128

Til Jung’s wife ran a small tea-shop, which has also been destroyed. I shall help him as best I can and will raise funds for Nepal in general in the coming weeks and years. It is all too easy for these events to be forgotten when they disappear from our television screens. But the recovery process in Nepal will take years, probably decades. Til Jung’s main work is as a trekking guide. He was due to lead a group in April but they cancelled (before the disaster) because their leader was in hospital. He has a group booked for October, but in the wake of the terrible events in Nepal they could cancel because it may not be sensible for them to go ahead. It seems to me that I am Til Jung’s best bet for income this year. AGS groups and local gardening clubs might consider booking me to speak about my planthunting expeditions in Nepal. I would ask for my travel expenses to be covered but that my normal lecture fee (£75, or £100 if an overnight stay is involved) be waived. I would ask groups either to donate a similar amount to the Britain-Nepal Medical Trust (BNMT) and/or have a collection after the presentation. Clearly some bookings would have to be one or two years ahead, but Til Jung and the others in Nepal whose lives have been devastated by the earthquakes will need help for years to come. Please be assured that I am not promoting my business at the expense of the Nepalese people. If you are a member of non-horticultural organisations then please recommend me to them. Every booking I receive will benefit the Nepalese people. To find out more about Til Jung THE ALPINE GARDENER

ALPINE DIARY

Chris Chadwell with Til Jung in Nepal before the earthquakes struck. Below, Impatiens scabrida photographed by Chris on one of his many expeditions to Nepal

and the plight of people in his neighbourhood please visit my website, www.chadwellseeds.co.uk. Above all, do not abandon future plans to visit Nepal once the situation there has stabilised. Tourism is essential for the country’s economic recovery. Charity has its place and the people of Nepal are genuinely grateful for the help they are receiving but we all wish to have the added dignity of earning a living. If you do visit and plan to trek or have friends or relatives intending to do so, please take extra care to keep yourself, your travelling companions and the Nepalese in your hire safe. JUNE 2015

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Robert Rolfe’s Diary

have a deep-seated dislike of those gardens where flowering plants are used very frugally, with just a handful deployed. To act as focal points, one is informed; to allow the eye to consider them in context, or some other such nebulous concept. For me, such so called gardens aren’t tranquil, nor do they entice: they are a bore. As for being places for contemplation, the only thing I am minded to contemplate is how quickly I can get away. What impresses me instead is a generous planting at its peak, where all the elements have settled down, either spreading congenially or receiving judicious assistance to create this effect. Similarly, there’s an undeniable thrill upon first entering a bluebell woodland, motoring over endlessly purple heather moors in August, or traversing pastures where countless buttercups blaze glossy yellow. In this vein, ‘Quantity has a quality all of its own’ (an aphorism dubiously attributed to Stalin) was my reaction upon seeing images of the HigashiMokoto Flower Garden, Hokkaido, in which Phlox subulata has established to spectacular effect over an eight-hectare site. Founded in 1956, this is the longest established of several plantings, rather gimmicky and Disneyfied for some tastes, but undeniably astonishing. From May to early June, the slopes are massed with the pink-purplish and white flowers in their millions, and a shibazakura (the

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Quantity is pleasing, but collectors can be far too pushy Japanese name for the Phlox) festival is celebrated, much as is the case with ornamental Prunus a few weeks earlier. One reads from a website that the ‘flowers fill the air with a sweet scent that complements the amazing view’, bringing to mind a newspaper cutting sent to me by Joy Bishop, in 2008, reporting that the drugs squad of the Avon and Somerset Police had forced the door of an elderly couple’s home, convinced that the pronounced scent emanating from their garden was attributable instead to Cannabis sativa. As the innocent grandfather of three later told reporters: ‘We bought the plant four years ago and it multiplied so fast that it took over our front and back gardens. I was happy because it looked so nice’. A further irony: the pensioner had no sense of smell following a medical procedure, and in any case was unaware THE ALPINE GARDENER

ROBERT ROLFE

A very dwarf white form of Rhododendron racemosum in Robert Rolfe’s garden

of the aroma cannabis exudes. Neither was I until, in 1991, I took an overnight train from Innsbruck south to Trento. As we crossed the Brenner Pass, the air in the coaches was thick with the fumes of roll-up cigarettes. The culprits were a holidaying school party, with several of the teachers among the guilty. I spent much of the journey with the window down, breathing in the chill alpine air rather than the sickly alternative. Analogously, the narcotic properties of the genus Rhododendron have long been recognised, and research continues. Cattle grazing on certain of the species have been poisoned, just as children have died after eating the flowers (yet JUNE 2015

those of R. arboreum are considered edible in parts of India). Notoriously, honey produced by bees that have visited the flowers can lead to grayanotoxin poisoning. Ingesting even a very small amount of the nectar can cause violent headaches, paralysis and breathing difficulties. Once, an American tour leader visiting Inverewe in Wester Ross had an extremely unpleasant ‘kiss-off ’ encounter with R. ‘Lady Chamberlain’ on this score. The aromatic leaves of R. campanulatum have been used to make snuff, and the Chinese infuse their tea with those of several species. But as for anyone else, leave well alone and simply 131

ALPINE DIARY grow the plants. Whether R. racemosum ‒ from Guizhou, Yunnan and Sichuan ‒ is used for this or medicinal purposes I’ve no idea, but in my rather dry garden it has prospered for almost 30 years, in a very dwarf white form that I treasure, for it has been very seldom offered since then. In all that time it has reached barely 60cm tall and rather less across, unlike other selections, more commonly pink or purple, that form sizeable plants 2-3m high and several metres across. This spring I photographed one such, planted in 1975, and was surprised by a clamorous cheeping coming from its crown, emitted by a nestful of unfledged robins. A wren added its complaint call a few feet further on: it too might have built a nest in another part of this floweriest of bowers. Ordinarily there is just one flowering stint in the case of the vintage white, in the second half of April, and too frequently the lavishly produced, brown-anthered flowers are ruined by a vicious late frost. This year was an exceptional one, with unbroken sunshine and cold but not catastrophically low temperatures overnight, producing a performance as immaculate as that of the ornamental cherries with whose blooming period it chimes. Not only that, but it had been in patchy but continuous bloom since Christmas Day, the warm autumn of 2014 and the heavy rain thereafter surely inducing this unorthodox prelude. On Boxing Day it received a thick mantle of snow that saved it from the bitterly cold night, enabling me to take images, white on white after the protective covering had melted in part, but with the ground still covered to a depth of three inches. 132

Since the flowers number up to 20 per head (8-18 is the orthodox count for the species), in two or three ranks, the earlier scatterings had no appreciable impact on the main flourish. Another Glendoick clone of R. racemosum, ‘White Lace’, received an RHS Award of Merit in 1974 and is appreciably taller, but has been reined in by the dwarfing influence of an albino R. campylogynum to yield the estimable ‘Bird’ hybrid from the same nursery, R. ‘Egret’. Accurately it is described in catalogues produced by this establishment as ‘quite unlike any other hybrid. Masses of tiny white bells on a compact plant with shiny, deep green leaves’. The height given (40cm) is tenable when applied to examples up to a decade old, or those kept in pots, but in the open ground it’s a different matter: around 1m x 2m is more realistic. Grown in part-shade, in a position where the sun’s rays don’t reach it until almost lunchtime, this shelter, together with its later-flowering in May make it less susceptible to sub-zero overnight temperatures. It is hummockforming in its earlier years and gets rather bare around the base at maturity. In my garden rich yellow Anemone ranunculoides has nipped in to fill the gap, and very successfully provides a warm-up performance several weeks in advance. The taller rhododendrons seldom excite me in the same way: it’s the dwarfer ones with commensurately smaller flowers that appeal most. But I make an exception in the case of early Marchflowering R. uvariifolium var. griseum, a 2-10m high taxon described in 1912 and THE ALPINE GARDENER

ROBERT ROLFE

The masses of tiny white bells of Rhododendron ‘Egret’

enduring from a 1948 Ludlow, Sherriff & Elliot (L,S&E 15817) gathering. In Yunnan over-picking of the flowers (girls used them as hair adornments) has led to a precipitous decline, with at one stage only 31 plants left at one site, the Yulong Xue Shan stands, which were fenced off with a cautionary notice in place. Plants raised by the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh were propagated to recolonise this area. This Scottish enclave includes both the original and a much later Cox sampling of the taxon (this later flowering), and if you choose the right day, as I did in Edinburgh last year, its flaunting, 3.5cm broad flowers, in part spotted crimson JUNE 2015

and purple on a white ground, appear in pristine abundance above clusters of leathery downturned leaves around 20cm long. John Good e-mailed me to say that they had been pole-axed when he coincidentally visited the following day after a vicious overnight frost. ‘Would it be very smug to say that I saw them at their pristine best?’ I gently enquired. ‘Very smug indeed,’ came the response, understandably through gritted teeth. This taxon has a more south-westerly distribution, and the leaf indumentum is also diagnostic, whereas in south-east Tibet, Ludlow judged the species as the most abundant of all those found in the 133

ALPINE DIARY

Rhododendron uvariifolium var. griseum at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh 134

THE ALPINE GARDENER

ROBERT ROLFE

Primula ‘Broadwell Milkmaid’ x ‘Lepus’ and, below, Robert Rolfe’s collection of Primula ‘Lepus’, half of them now given away

Tsangpo gorge. As his friend Harold Fletcher noted: ‘[It] sometimes carried trusses of white flowers, sometimes of white flushed with rose, and sometimes of pale rose; the flowers might be spotted and blotched with crimson or quite free from these markings.’ Attractive in any of its guises, it has an upward rather than an outward spread, and is worth planting in small or large gardens alike, if the owner is prepared for the disappointment that follows a sub-zero night. I’m all for plants that represent the throng in mid to late spring and on into early summer, but those that prefigure or post-date this bounty are the ones on which I concentrate. My modest aim is to build them up to levels where some can be distributed more widely. Our Society is fortunate, since its inception, to have enlisted numerous other members who see it as their duty and JUNE 2015

equally their pleasure to conduct likeminded gardeners around their private gardens, and in doing so pass on some of their best plants. Among them are some of the leading gardeners in the 135

ALPINE DIARY

Saxifraga ‘Allendale Jinn’, a hybrid between S. diapensioides and S. poluniniana

British Isles: currently 21 (if my maths are correct) are RHS Victoria Medal of Honour holders, representing just over a third of the overall total for this singular award. Through this good practice, plants such as Primula ‘Lepus’ have been doggedly increased to a level where they are now appearing in nurserymen’s lists. The picture here shows my modest population at its peak, then I gave half of them away before calling halt. ‘Lepus’ has also proved an excellent parent, and a batch of seedlings involving another floriferous parent, P. ‘Broadwell Milkmaid’, sown in 2011, have all come good in their second year 136

of flowering. ‘Lepus’ and its offspring flower simultaneously with my favourite of several Ray Fairbairn hybrids involving Saxifraga diapensioides, S. ‘Allendale Jinn’, which is reliable year after year, doesn’t wax then rapidly wane in the usual way of its other parent, S. poluniniana, and grows well, but not too well. These and others came my way by gift. It is always pleasing when some much-wanted plant is received in this way. There are, nonetheless, unspoken, common-sense rules that should be observed, yet sometimes aren’t. If your host goes round with a trowel, offering plants at every turn, lucky you. If, THE ALPINE GARDENER

ROBERT ROLFE however, you arrive with a trowel and polythene bags at the ready, along with (it has happened, truly) a shopping list, a second visit is imperilled. Avarice, always off-putting, is usually counterproductive. Another of the seven deadly sins: pride. It is seldom wise to crow about working up a good stock of a desirable plant. Gloating will either tempt fate and lead to a setback, or else your generosity, sure as night follows day, will be tested to the very limit. A case in point: years ago I managed to raise a bumper crop of a rare Corydalis and, by way of a good turn, passed on a dozen dormant tubers to someone keen to expand his collection of these. Thanks would have been in order, you might think, instead of which he declared: ‘Oh good. Enough for me to keep half of them and sell the rest!’ Recounting this in high dudgeon to a friend, he sympathised, having been similarly affronted by another act of rapaciousness. A Crocus seedling appeared in his garden. It was an absolute corker. A small clump slowly developed. Word got out. He was contacted by an overseas wholesale bulb nursery, very keen indeed to trial this novelty and investigate its potential. The number accrued was small, but in the interests of horticulture and internationalism, a parcel containing a good number of corms was despatched to the requester. A week later, back came a terse reply: ‘Your consignment has arrived. No charge will be made for the development costs,’ adding, and here the presumptuousness is compounded, ‘on this occasion.’ How very generous! JUNE 2015

Crocus chrysanthus ‘Sunspot’ with blackanthered C. biflorus subsp. nubigena

There was, unsurprisingly, no followup ‘occasion’. On top of which, none of the stock, given so open-handedly, was returned to the benefactor. Entente non cordiale resulted. A follow-up letter from the offender was, to quote from a political equivalency of this larceny: ‘As full of contrition as a frog is full of toothpaste.’ A brief aside: back in a decidedly wintry January, with some plants taken into the warm kitchen so that their flowers would open, I had the wizard idea of cross-pollinating the darkstyled Crocus chrysanthus ’Sunspot’ with black-anthered C. biflorus subsp. nubigena. There was pollen aplenty, but 137

ALPINE DIARY despite their relatively close affinities, only one seed capsule was set. When I mentioned this to Bob Wallis, who had already tried the match using different forms of C. chrysanthus, he too reported disappointing results. ‘It’s a recessive character,’ he concluded. For all that, I understand that atavistically blackstigma seedlings of ‘Sunspot’ have been reared by others. Onetime AGS vice-president Eric Watson, kindness itself beneath a slightly curmudgeonly facade, was the man who maintained in cultivation Dionysia afghanica and another Afghan species, D. viscidula, also from the Darrah Zang and known only from much the same altitude, 1,400m. He did so by taking cuttings at every opportunity, by monitoring his plants day by day (he would check them even before breakfast), by dedicating a greenhouse ‒ and much of his later life (he died in 2004) ‒ to their cultivation, by distributing plants to the deserving, yet equally by fending off the unending advances of those for whom the noun ‘scrounger’ was coined. In one month alone, he received 17 visitors, most of them keen to leave with one each of the dozen plants of D. afghanica reared. Had he obliged them all, he would have been left with none. I recall another grasping sort who felt his life wanting without ownership of that dazzling, electric-blue, southern Turkish endemic Alkanna aucheriana, at the time quite recently reintroduced by the 1977 MacPhail & Watson expedition (Mac & W 5723). He stalked his prey relentlessly, identifying those very few gardens in which seedlings had been 138

reared. Visiting two of them in quick succession, he came away with each of the owners’ spare plants (in both cases the host had only a brace before the swoop), so that he ended up with two, his victims with one apiece. Neither heard from him ever again. The inexorable collector’s mindset is admirable in many cases, for it has led to the development of tremendous assemblages of plants by means of laudable exchange, seed-raising and judicious introductions. But just what is it that causes a few to stretch to shameless pestering at best, theft at worst, in order to attain the unholy grail of a complete set, in the way that those who once collected rare birds’ eggs once did (and, as newspaper reports from time to time attest, sometimes still do)? On a bleak February day, I squelched round a private Cotswold garden, beautifully laid out and maintained with lavish, well-rotted manure and rich garden compost topdressings (Primrose Warburg, onetime siren of the snowdrop world, recommended much the same). To date the despicable snowdrop raids that have ransacked collections at Wisley, Colesbourne and elsewhere have not afflicted this haven, and I’ve no intention of providing information that might alter this happy state of affairs. All I’ll say is that the most divergent Galanthus selections can be very effectively clumped in juxtaposition, where in the form of a pageant their palpable differences are accentuated, and that if you think there is any likelihood that the latterday flood of new cultivar names for this modish genus is coming to a halt, you are clearly deluded. THE ALPINE GARDENER

ROBERT ROLFE

A fine stand of Galanthus ‘Godfrey Owen’ in a Cotswold garden, where it shone even on a cold and misty day in early February JUNE 2015

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Dave Riley, who gardens in rural Cumbria, has a long-standing interest in truly dwarf conifers and has built up an extensive collection of miniature Pinus clones, most of which have arisen as so-called witches’ brooms (dense, huddled forms resulting from mite or virus infection of the much taller parent plant) or as other spontaneous sports. A range of species yield such miniatures, with P. cembra, P. leucodermis, P. mugo, P. parviflora, P. strobus and P. sylvestris among the most diversely represented. They require skill to propagate and patience to bring to maturity, but reward these virtues by being attractive the year round, long-lived and reliable once established

Successful techniques for growing miniature pines

he description ‘miniature pines’ is liable to confuse those who are more familiar with the term ‘dwarf pines’. Categorisation has become much more precise over the past decade, so that professional growers nowadays define growth as miniature if a plant does not exceed 40cm in width or height over ten years. I would impose a further restriction – if the grower is considering them for exhibition purposes – of at most 25mm per year, which will whittle down the number to leave only the tightest and most desirable forms. It’s a matter of taste, but one trend that I find unattractive is that of grafting miniature pines onto tall, cleanstemmed rootstocks, thereby producing a ‘lollipop’ effect, even if it brings the specimen slightly closer to eye-level rather than requiring the kneeling

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position that is normally necessary. I greatly prefer a natural effect, not an exaggerated, manicured one. Miniature pines originate from seedling or bud mutations (principally represented by colour variations) or arise as witches’ brooms, which are congested growths that occur rarely on normal or dwarf pines. Bud mutations and witches’ brooms are in turn usually side-grafted onto suitable rootstocks. I find that Pinus mugo and P. uncinata selections produce the best plants, noteworthy for their restricted growth. Growing pines in pots presents few problems. Having said this, one error perpetrated, particularly in the pursuit of prizes when exhibiting, is to restrict growth in order to meet the size limitations on pots. This typically leads to a plant that sheds the needles of its lower THE ALPINE GARDENER

DAVE RILEY

MINIATURE PINES

A tight bun of Pinus mugo ‘Fischeinboden’ in Dave Riley’s garden

branches as a consequence of starvation and root restriction, becoming bonsailike. Top-growth should not extend beyond the pot circumference, so that the specimen is repotted progressively up to the 36cm limit for showing. Pines that ultimately exceed such dimensions are generally best planted out, unless larger containers can be used. The compost I use for potted dwarf pines comprises equal parts of John Innes No. 2, 3mm grit and composted bark, with a frugal dose of a slow-release fertiliser. The latter is to replenish JUNE 2015

leaching from the ‘loam’ element rather than encouraging additional growth. I have not observed any benefit from applying foliar feeds. This experience is borne out in a paper by Dr Linda ChalkerScott of Washington State University, The Myth of Foliar Feeding, which can be read by accessing theinformedgardener. com. She concludes: ‘Micronutrients are the only minerals that are effectively applied through foliar application… [such treatment] will not alleviate mineral deficiencies in roots or subsequent crown growth… [and] 141

PRACTICAL GARDENING

DON PEACE

Pinus mugo ‘Suzi’ grown by Dave Riley in a black plastic pot to reduce weight

spraying is only a temporary solution to the larger problem of soil nutrient availability.’ An annual drench of Provado is routinely applied to combat vine weevils. These can appear in newly acquired stock that has been grown in peat-based composts. Another piece of advice: plastic pots are considerably lighter to lift compared with clay ones, especially when dealing with plants in the maximum show size container of 36cm. A relatively shallow depth further helps to reduce the overall weight and provides a better visual balance. A fungicide is applied twice a year after the ‘thatch’ has been removed. Thatch is 142

the term used for the dead needles that accumulate on the branches of all pines and, if not removed, leads to die-back of the new growth, quite apart from harbouring pests. This is best carefully cleared out from the inner branches first, using an old kitchen fork, gently combing from the centre to the outer edges. After an application of fungicide, the topdressing is renewed. Pines grown in a rich soil in the open ground are capable of attaining at least twice the dimensions of those that are confined to pots. But outdoor specimens can be restrained, and kept in character, both by planting in raised scree beds and by occasional ‘candling’ (removing 50 THE ALPINE GARDENER

JON EVANS

MINIATURE PINES

Pinus mugo ‘Minikin’ grown by Lee and Julie Martin

per cent of the new extension growth in late spring). The advantage of growing them in this manner is that they will be happier than in pots once their roots have reached a level where moisture is more constant, allowing them to be positioned in full sun without the risk of drying out and scorching. Even so, whether grown in pots or in the open ground, a fine spray/misting every evening in hot weather is beneficial and will help deter red spider mite. This pest is far and away the most damaging of all but springtails (Bourletiella hortensis for example) and woolly aphid (Eriosoma lanigerum) can also be occasionally problematic. Advice JUNE 2015

on their symptoms and eradication can be found in the excellent AGS publication Pests and Diseases of Alpine Plants (1993) by Ellis, Entwistle and Walkey, now out of print but secondhand copies can be found on Amazon. Propagation is normally carried out using side-grafts, with the scion of a two-needle pine reciprocally grafted onto a two-needle pine rootstock. For example, a Pinus mugo scion matched with a Pinus sylvestris rootstock. By way of explanation, pines have their leaves – or needles – arranged in clusters of one to eight, but most commonly in sets of two, three or five. Sheathed at the base by overlapping scales, these groupings, 143

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JON EVANS

Pinus strobus ‘E.R.’ grown by Georgina Instone

termed fascicles, are of diagnostic importance, for they are more or less constant within a species. The two-needle group includes the following species: banksiana, contorta, densiflora, echinata, heldreichii, mugo, nigra, pinaster, resinosa, sylvestris and virginiana. The five-needle group includes: albicaulis, aristata, cembra, flexilis, koraiensis, monticola, parviflora, peuce, pumila, strobus and wallichiana. Normal practice is to carry out grafting in late January or early February, keeping the grafts frost-free under glass 144

until scion growth is clearly under way. After several months of scion growth the rootstock should be pruned back, close to the graft. For those wishing to try their hand at grafting pines I recommend a DVD produced by Bob Fincham (of Coenosium Gardens in the USA) which contains precise and practical advice from an expert. A further method of growth restraint is to keep the grafted plant low in its container with the intention of inducing rooting of the grafted scion into the compost. If this is successful, the rootstock is then cut off the grafted plant. THE ALPINE GARDENER

DOUG JOYCE

MINIATURE PINES

Pinus mugo subsp. uncinata ‘Jezek’ grown by Ivor Betteridge

However, I have no experience of this practice, nor do I have the confidence to try it! Sometimes seedlings are raised that give rise to miniature forms but the vast majority of propagation is by grafting, which by using a suitable rootstock gives a like-for-like specimen. One important consideration when buying a plant is the nursery practice of growing pines in open ground, lifting these for sale and ‘bagging’ them in hessian cloth prior to placing them in surround of compost, ready for transit. The hessian leads to crippled growth if JUNE 2015

not detected by the purchaser. It should be removed upon receipt, and the plant grown on in the standard compost referred to earlier. A full list of recommended varieties would stretch to several pages but I can thoroughly recommend a DVD produced by Gordon Haddow of Kenwith Conifer Nursery, Bideford, Devon, entitled Miniature/Dwarf and Slow-growing Pines, which will entice you and subsequently reduce your finances! However, for present purposes, what follows is a short, personal selection of cultivars that have been in commerce 145

PRACTICAL GARDENING

JON EVANS

Pinus mugo ‘Zwergkugel’ grown by Ivor Betteridge

at least ten years. All are commercially available at the time of writing, but be warned: tracking some of them down requires perseverance and a willingness to import from specialist nurseries on the continent. Those chosen cover a range of forms (globus/pyramidal/conical/ spreading) with an annual growth rate of 3cm or less. The dimensions given are for typical ten-year-old specimens. Pinus cembra ‘Bergkönig’ – 30 x 20 cm, conical, glaucous green needles. Pinus mugo ‘Bonsai Kramer’ – 10 x 20cm, making a flattish bun; short, dark green, twisted needles; tricky. 146

Pinus mugo ‘Donna’s Mini’ – 20 x 30cm, cushion-forming, mid-green needles, choice. A 1980s sport of ‘Valley Cushion’. Pinus mugo ‘Mini Mini’ – 20 x 25cm, globose habit, easy. Pinus mugo ‘Suzi’. AGM – 30 x 30cm, globose to spreading with attractive orange-brown new growth. Pinus mugo ‘Zwergkugel’ – 35 x 35cm, globose, with short, dark green needles. Pinus mugo subsp. uncinata ‘Ježek’ – 20 x 30cm, cushion-forming, green needles, very good. Pinus sylvestris ‘Marshall’ – 30 x 25cm, spreading, green needles, rather tricky. THE ALPINE GARDENER

MINIATURE PINES

Where to buy miniature pines British Isles Hartside Nursery Garden (www.plantswithaltitude.co.uk) The Alpine Plant Centre (www.alpineplantcentre.co.uk) Ashwood Nurseries (www.ashwoodnurseries.com) Kenwith Conifer Nursery (www.kenwithconifernursery.co.uk) Germany Horstmann (www.pflanzen-zentrum-horstmann.de) Kohout (www.baumschule-kohout.de) Netherlands Herman Geers (www.hgeers.nl)

Further reading

The world check list of conifers (1993) ISBN 0900513098: Humphrey Welch & Gordon Haddow RHS Encyclopedia of Conifers (2012) by Aris Auders & Derek Spicer, ISBN 9781907057151 (www.coniferworld.com)

Online JON EVANS

Conifer forum (forums.gardenweb.com/forums/conif)

Dave Riley’s specimen of Pinus mugo subsp. rotundata ‘Jezek’ JUNE 2015

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HOW TO GROW IT

Trillium grandiflorum

bout two decades ago I purchased a plant of Trillium grandiflorum with one stem and flower, intent on growing it in a pot for showing. Fifteen years later my plant made its first appearance on a show bench and began to be admired. I was determined to present it as it grows in the wild. Trillium grandiflorum is a highly prized and long-lived woodland or shade plant, with a large natural range in North America. It grows predominantly on well-drained soils in rich deciduous mixed woodlands. It is typically 30cm tall but may reach 45cm, with white flowers, rarely pink, from late April to early June. Plants are variable in flower size, those with broader petals having a pleasing symmetry with the leaves. I chose a plant with wide white petals and placed it in a 19cm ‘long tom’ plastic pot containing equal parts of John Innes No. 3, general garden compost and grit. This pot was placed in permanent shade and stood in a plastic saucer, kept topped up with rainwater from March to October. The moisture for the rest of the year comes from rain and snow. A dilute liquid fertiliser was applied to the compost surface three times a year between March and October. I wanted the flower stalks to be 30cm tall in full bloom, with the flowers appearing through the leaf canopy, and ceased applying fertiliser at any sign of the plant growing out of character.

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An American in Yorkshire By Chris Lilley My plant remained permanently outside and was potted on into a 25cm terracotta pot after about ten years, using the same potting mixture without removing compost from the existing root system. The flowering stalks began to increase substantially, and easily managed to find a way through the compost surface which had become encrusted with mosses and liverworts, giving the plant the appearance of growing in the wild. Trillium growth commences in February when the rhizome buds rise through the compost surface. I lightly cover these with compost to prevent frost damage. The stems grow rapidly in March, flowering for me in South Yorkshire from mid-April onwards. Keeping my plant in pristine show condition requires placing it just inside my open greenhouse door at night and applying a mist spray of rainwater to the flowers and leaves. Each morning the plant is brought outside, again applying a mist spray, and left in shade. I have protected the plant with a rigid plastic sheet depending on the weather, especially if snow, hail or heavy rain is forecast. THE ALPINE GARDENER

HOW TO GROW IT

Chris Lilley with his magnificent Farrer Medalwinning pot of Trillium grandiflorum

After 15 years, a further potting on into a 35cm terracotta pot took place, again using the same process previously mentioned. I have always potted on in autumn, but I’ve been told this is best done in February when the plants commence their annual growth. A few years ago I decided to split my plant into two, and finally did so in February 2014 without any adverse consequences. Many of the smaller outer rhizomes were removed and given JUNE 2015

to friends who show. It’s only in the last few years that I’ve removed and tried to germinate seed. I understand it takes about five years to produce a flowering plant, so patience is again required. Seeds sown in 2013 are pushing up their first leaves as I write in March 2015. Being an excellent clone, my plant was taken in 2014 to a friend’s garden, where a pink-flowering Trillium grandiflorum grows. The two were cross-pollinated. We patiently wait again. 149

CHRISTOPHER GARDNER

Iris iberica subsp. lycotis in the Zagros Mountains, Iran, from Flora of the Silk Road 150

THE ALPINE GARDENER

The world is our garden ORON PERI

he recent publication of Flora of the Silk Road by Christopher and Başak Gardner, with its mouth-watering photographs of plants found along this historic trade route, is a reminder to all gardeners of the debt we owe to explorers who travel the globe and introduce plants into cultivation. Alpine Garden Society members have always been enthusiastic travellers, and every year many hundreds head off for countries as diverse as China and South Africa, Switzerland and Argentina, to bring back stories, photographs and sometimes seed of the plants they find. In this issue of The Alpine Gardener, inspired by Flora of the Silk Road, we join five AGS members on their travels. To begin, Tim Ingram reviews Flora of the Silk Road. Then, on page xxx, we join Liz Knowles with Christopher and Başak Gardner on the Silk Road itself in Himachal Pradesh, India, on an AGS/Greentours expedition. Next, on page xxx, we accompany Harry Jans and Daniel Montesinos on an AGS tour to Peru. On page xxx, the Israeli botanist Oron Peri takes us to Mount Hermon, also on the Allium rupicola on Mount Hermon Silk Road. Oron has written a field guide, Bulbs of the Eastern Mediterranean, which is due to be published by the AGS later this year. Oron and our final contributor, Ken Gillanders, who lives in Tasmania, remind us that, wherever we live, we don’t always have to travel thousands of miles to see plants in the wild. Ken ventures onto Mount Anne to share with us some of the native plants on his doorstep. Together, our contributors have produced a lavish photographic portfolio, a reminder that the plants in our gardens and alpine houses come from all corners of the earth. For alpine gardeners, the world is indeed our garden. JUNE 2015

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ne of the greatest journeys in the world is to follow the Silk Road, an almost mythical route that not only crosses Asia and connects west and east, but also connects cultures and history in the most profound ways. John Masefield, in his introduction to The Travels of Marco Polo the Venetian (Everyman, 1908), says that ‘it is difficult to read Marco Polo as one reads historical facts. One reads him as one reads romance’. Even in the modern world, with satellite navigation, Google maps and the interconnectedness of the web, this still rings true. Look at a map of Asia and we see that the vast wilderness of Siberia in the north is separated from the teeming populations of India and China in the south by range upon range of mountains and semi-desert. These include, for the plant geographer, botanist and alpine gardener, some of the most remarkable floristic regions of all in Turkey, the Caucasus, Iran and Afghanistan. In this extraordinary and beautiful book, Christopher and Başak Gardner take on the challenge of photographing the flora of the Silk Road. An impossible task, you might think, but follow their journey along the Silk Road and the diversity of plants, places and landscapes is so finely photographed and presented that you will be completely won over. In his preface to the book, Christopher describes it as a personal selection of 545 bulbs, herbs, trees and shrubs from an area with upwards of 40,000 temperate species alone, representing ten per cent of the world’s flowering plants. The authors, who will be known to

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Now we can all join this breathtaking journey BOOK REVIEW Flora of the Silk Road: An Illustrated Guide, by Christopher and Başak Gardner, published by I. B. Tauris, £35. ISBN 978-1-78076941-7

many AGS members as tour leaders for Greentours, begin their botanical journey in Turkey with that loveliest and most elegant of lilies, Lilium monadelphum, and end in the wet mountains of Sikkim full of rhododendrons, primulas and arisaemas. In between is the most incredible diversity of topography and climate, familiar and unfamiliar plants, photographed with the eyes of artist and botanist, and often set in the landscapes that define them. This is a book of images, but images as you rarely see THE ALPINE GARDENER

BOOK REVIEW

Colchicum variegatum and Fritillaria reuteri, just two of the many beautiful images from Flora of the Silk Road

them, underpinned by a strong affinity and knowledge of plant and place. As mentioned in the introduction: ‘A knowledgeable merchant would have been able to place themselves on the road simply by looking at the flora.’ The armchair traveller and plants-person, who may have grown and learned about many of these plants, can share in this journey. It is hard not to come away from this book without the feeling bestowed by A Time of Gifts, a book by Patrick Leigh JUNE 2015

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EXPLORATION

Eremurus robustus in a forest of walnut (Juglans regia) in the foothills of the Tien Shan, Kyrgyzstan, from Flora of the Silk Road

Fermor, who travelled across Europe to Istanbul at a very different time, or recalling A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush by Eric Newby, even though neither of these authors speak of plants but of the journey. This large-format book is produced with the quality and design which gives full expression to the photographs, most annotated with short but informative descriptions. Each region covered is given an introduction, which only leads you to want to know more, and the occasional pictures of the cultures passed through – the detail of the Emir Mosque tilework at Esfahan is exquisite 154

– say something of the people and history of the Silk Road, a whole subject and revelation in itself. The plants themselves can hardly be viewed by any traveller without a sense of wonder. This is a rare and special book which will appeal to anyone with a fascination in the wider world of plants and natural history, whether they have already studied or grown them for many years or are learning afresh. It invites you to step beyond your garden into those places that plants really bring alive and come back to view your garden in a wholly new light. Tim Ingram THE ALPINE GARDENER

HIMACHAL PRADESH

Emergency repairs on the treacherous ‘road’ through the Baralacha La

et it never be said that planthunting in north-west India is predictable. Twelve metres of snow on the Rohtang La over the winter put paid to any notions that we might see the wonderful plants that Henry and Margaret Taylor have written about, along with those on the Rupin and Nalgan passes near Sangla. In addition, the considerable quantity of snow remaining on the mountains in early July last year resulted each day in gushing torrents and waterfalls that cascaded onto and across precarious mountain roads. Jagander, the mountain rescue guide who accompanied us, became very adept at improvising a

JUNE 2015

On the Silk Road in India The Canadian plantswoman Liz Knowles joins Chris Gardner on an eventful Greentours expedition in Himachal Pradesh. Pictures: Liz and George Knowles passable track, while our driver all too often had to manoeuvre his way between an incapacitated vehicle and an eight foot wall of snow. 155

EXPLORATION

Corydalis crassifolia (synonym C. crassissima) gains a foothold in scree

We signed up for the AGS/Greentours trip because Chris Gardner’s itinerary promised to take us off the beaten track, beyond the Lahaul valley to Baralacha La, over the Kunzum La to the Spiti valley, and from Kaza via the restricted border area at Sumdo to Sangla. As luck would have it, we did eventually see most of the plants recorded by the Taylors as well as other denizens of the high Himalayas such as Corydalis crassissima, Thylacospermum caespitosum, Allardia stoliczkai and Arnebia euchroma. From our first stop in Kullu we explored the Jalori pass. Euphorbia royleana and Phoenix sylvestris, the wild date palm, grew at lower altitudes. Higher up there were large numbers of Arisaema propinquum. Purple spikes of 156

Wulfenia amherstiana grew among the damp, shady rocks and, on a 45 degree slope just below the road, we saw great drifts of mauve and pink Iris milesii. On the way back to Kullu, a chance sighting by our eagle-eyed sardar (guide) Neelam lead us to a single specimen of Lilium polyphyllum growing on a bank by the road. (A site recorded some years ago in Manali appears to have been obliterated by construction.) The stately 1m tall plant had prominent orangered stamens and strongly recurved, greenish/white petals speckled with pink. The only area of the Rohtang La where flowers were abundant was just below Marhi (3,300m), close to the bridge. Primula denticulata, P. rosea, P. THE ALPINE GARDENER

HIMACHAL PRADESH

Iris milesii and, below, the Compositae member Allardia stoliczkai

macrophylla and P. munroi were all in flower. Sadly Primula reidii, known from a wet cliff face above Marhi, was not yet in bloom. Androsace sarmentosa grew in drifts beside Anemone obtusiloba and Iris kemaonensis. Also seen were Corydalis cashmeriana, C. govaniana, Bergenia stracheyi and Rheum moorcroftianum. A perfect specimen of Fritillaria roylei grew next to Allium humile and Gypsophila cerastioides. On the way up to the pass the following day we spotted Thermopsis barbata and a mauve-flowered Spergularia. The latter, a member of the Caryophyllaceae, was growing at over 3,300m, whereas the genus is more commonly associated with sandy coastal sites in Europe and North America. JUNE 2015

Our crossing of the Rohtang La was relatively uneventful as the only vehicles allowed that day on the pass represented through traffic to the Lahaul valley. This was in marked contrast to the previous day when bumper-to-bumper traffic 157

EXPLORATION

crawled up to the top! In summer, vast numbers of Indian tourists visit the pass to ‘experience’ snow and to get away from the heat and humidity of the plains. In addition, hundreds of oil trucks go over the pass each day, en route to the military installations in Ladakh. On the way down to Grampoo in the Lahaul valley we had our first taste of what we would routinely encounter during the remainder of the trip. Snowmelt turned streams into angry torrents, water poured off the mountain and onto the road, eroding what little remained of the paving and creating unstable areas beside precipitous drops. Keylong was our base for exploring the Baralacha La, the first of several high passes on the road to Ladakh. On our first attempt, just beyond Darcha, 158

we came to a solid line of 50 or more stationary oil tankers. It was clear that we were not destined to visit Baralacha La that day, so we opted instead to visit the adjacent Pattan valley. Surrounded by snow-covered peaks, the valley opened out initially into an extensive boulder field. This was bisected by a pristine, newly paved, two-lane highway which petered out 15km further on. After that it was back to a bone-jarring gravel track that represented the norm for most of our remaining travels. Meconopsis aculeata was soon spotted from the bus, its sky blue flowers on 80cm stems in prime condition. Potentilla cuneata, Epilobium latifolium, Leontopodium himalayanum and the pink composite Allardia stoliczkai (formerly Waldheimia stoliczkai) grew THE ALPINE GARDENER

HIMACHAL PRADESH

Snowmelt makes for tricky progress in the Lahaul valley Opposite, a beautiful specimen of Lilium polyphyllum Below, the borage Lindelofia macrostyla

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EXPLORATION

The 80cm tall Meconopsis aculeata in peak condition in the Pattan valley Opposite, Thylacospermum caespitosum at the ‘low’ end of its range Opposite below, the yellow umbels of Ferula jaeschkeana

among the rocks. Further up the valley, among cultivated fields, we found clumps of the blue borage Lindelofia macrostyla (syn. anchusoides), 2m tall yellow umbels of Ferula jaeschkeana, the yellowish-white spikes of Rheum 160

webbianum, pale blue Aquilegia fragrans and the composite Psychrogeton andryaloides. We stopped several times on the road back to Keylong to admire hanging glaciers, banksides covered with Rosa webbiana and several THE ALPINE GARDENER

HIMACHAL PRADESH

superb specimens of the dark purple broomrape, Orobanche cernua. The following morning the road to Leh was open again. However, progress up to the Baralacha La wasn’t all plain sailing. At one point we waited and watched while a huge yellow backhoe created a makeshift road (small patches of asphalt were the only discernible signs that a road had once existed). Further on, a longer queue of trucks, mini vans and Suzukis proceeded at a snail’s pace through ankle-deep water. Fortunately there were always volunteers willing to push any vehicle that became stuck. As we approached Baralacha La, the snow-covered peaks contrasted with sprawling moraines ranging in colour JUNE 2015

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EXPLORATION from pink through to blue and grey. Among the snow-streaked landscape at the top of the pass (4,980m) we found the one plant that we would not see anywhere else. Thylacospermum caespitosum grew over rocky slopes close to the road. As the altitudinal range of this august member of the Caryophyllaceae is 4,800-5,700m, at Baralacha La it occurs at the ‘low’ end

A single flower of Meconopsis aculeata

of its range. Two species of Rhodiola together with Primula minutissima grew in damp spots but, as on the Rohtang La, the late season meant that many of the classic high alpine plants had yet to emerge. We made several stops on the way back to Keylong. The small, pale yellow shrub Lonicera asperifolia grew on a rocky slope by the road. On an otherwise barren scree at 4,000m we found 162

Corydalis crassifolia, its fleshy glaucous leaves an attractive foil for the purplishmargined, white flowers. The high altitude crucifer Parrya nudicaulis grew nearby. Closer to Darcha we spotted a group of 15 ibex (Capra sibirica subsp. himalayensis) just above the road. They seemed unruffled by our presence and we watched raptly as they made their way down the precipitous slope to the Bhaga river far below. It was a 6am start from Keylong the following day. Although the distance to Kaza is less than 200km, it took over 13 hours using roads that frequently were no more than gravel tracks winding through boulder fields. The main reason for our early departure soon became evident. The road that took us over the Kunzum La (4,551m) into the Spiti valley had only been open for a week. On the main NH21 which follows the Chandra river through the Lahaul valley, waterfalls frequently cascaded across the road, on occasion the road and river bed converging. Three-metre high snow banks flanked several sections of road and as these would start to melt in the sun as the day progressed, it would have taken only one incapacitated vehicle to leave us stranded. Fine stands of Morina coulteriana grew on scree by the river at Sissuo. Though botanical stops were limited until we passed the last of the snow canyons, our generally slow progress did give us ample opportunity to take in this dramatic, desolate landscape and to spot plants. Arenaria festucoides grew on top of boulders, while Primula minutissima appeared in both pink and white forms. Primula macrophylla var. moorcroftiana, THE ALPINE GARDENER

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A colony of Primula minutissima enjoys a dramatic backdrop on the Kunzum La

Rhodiola wallichiana and R. himalensis were all thriving in rock crevices. Eritrichium nanum subsp. villosum and Draba oreades grew close to the top of the pass, just a few kilometres JUNE 2015

further on, where we saw further drifts of Primula minutissima, especially dramatic with the zebra-striped, snowcovered mountains as backdrop. As we drove into the high, dry 163

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The Spiti Valley is one of the highest inhabited valleys in the world

landscape of the Spiti valley, the ochre coloured mountains, the sparse vegetation and huge braided rivers prompted further stops for photographs. Lying mostly above 3,350m, the Spiti is one of the highest inhabited valleys in the world. The people and architecture reflect their Tibetan Buddhist heritage, a reminder, too, that Tibet is just over the mountains to the east. As entry to this politically sensitive area was restricted to inner-line (travel) permit holders, we had a mandatory stop at Losar (4,079m) before continuing on through a moonscape of towering cliffs, earth towers, rock pinnacles and yet more braided rivers. From our base at Kaza we explored 164

a part of the remote Pin valley. In this wild landscape snow leopards are occasionally seen. Clusters of pale pink flowers adorned the low, spiny bushes of Lonicera spinosa and, continuing the pastel palette, Linum usitatissimum had pale blue flowers that cascaded down the stony slopes. Rosa webbiana was present in shades of deep pink, fading to pale pink − a memorable contrast with the azure blue sky. Just beyond a small village whose houses were built into the rock face, we encountered terraced fields full of flowers including pinkishwhite Aquilegia fragrans, dark blue Lindelofia macrostyla, and Geranium pratense. There were also large numbers THE ALPINE GARDENER

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Arnebia euchroma near the remote village of Kibber

of Codonopsis clematidea, their nodding pale blue bell-shaped flowers, dark purple veined within, somewhat challenging for the photographers among our group. Back on the road to Kaza, a drift of dense purple spikes caught our eye in a damp flush. We had chanced upon a stand of the marsh orchid Dactylorhiza hatagirea. Beside it grew another bog dweller, Primula nutans (syn. sibirica), the delicate pinky mauve of the deeply notched petals against a contrasting yellow eye. Later that day, we drove north of the Spiti river towards the remote village of Kibber (4,205m). As we snaked JUNE 2015

our way up the dry hills two borages were identified. Arnebia euchroma has rounded clusters of pale pink to purple flowers; those of Lindelofia stylosa are tubular and claret-coloured. Ephedra gerardiana grew beside Asperula oppositifolia and Dracocephalum heterophyllum, near to which a fleshyleaved, white through to mauve flowered crucifer was identified as Christolea crassifolia. One of the more refined members of its genus, Allium carolinianum combines upright, straplike glaucous leaves and a dense umbel of deep pink flowers. Late in the day we visited Ki Gompa. This notable monastery, perched on a high rock, has 165

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The Buddhist monastery in its spectacular setting at Ki Gompa. Left, Allium carolinianum

strategic views up and down the Spiti valley. The next leg of our journey took us from Kaza to Sangla in the Baspa valley and entailed another 12-hour, 200km journey. Shortly after setting off, we encountered road signs warning of ‘shooting rocks’ and a disconcerting statement courtesy of the Border Region Organisation: ‘You are travelling on the world’s most treacherous road.’ The car ahead of us stopped suddenly and we noticed that small stones were cascading down onto the road. A thousand metres above, blue sheep (bharal) crossing the 166

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A remarkable Iris lactea with four rather than the orthodox three falls and standards

scree were responsible for dislodging these. Then, suddenly, a rock the size of a football came bouncing down, hit the road, disappeared into the void below and landed in the river. It wasn’t difficult to picture what would have happened to a vehicle in its path. After 20 minutes of deliberation the car ahead of us moved to shelter by a rock face, where the driver stopped to give us the all clear. On to the next hurdle! In this extremely arid, rocky terrain there were some surprising plant discoveries. Capparis spinosa, a shrubby plant in the caper family commonly found growing in the Mediterranean, was well established along the banks of JUNE 2015

the Spiti river. Nearby we found large tangled clumps of Clematis tibetana subsp. vernayi. Also plentiful, Iris lactea lined the road in Tabo village, one plant sporting a flower with four rather than the orthodox three falls and standards. At the remote police checkpoint and army base at Sumdo, a mere 5km from the disputed border with China, the Spiti river and road both took a 90 degree turn to the south. Beyond Changbo the landscape became ever more dramatic as we entered the Hangrang valley, where rock pinnacles and overhanging, unstable screes featured as the road zigzagged up to the 3,662m pass. We ate lunch beside prayer flags and mani 167

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Hundreds of spathes of Arisaema jacquemontii

stones under a deep blue sky. Close to Khab, two plants seen growing in this desolate landscape were Cynanchum vincetoxicum and Lonicera hypoleuca, the latter an erect shrub, 2m high, with yellow flowers. The Spiti river joins the mighty Sutlej river at Khab and for the next 50km the rudimentary gravel road snakes its way down a narrow canyon encircled by 5,000-6,000m peaks. On more than one occasion our vehicle had to wait while a bulldozer cleared the road of debris from a landslide. At Spello, the colourfully garbed Kinnaur people provided a welcome diversion from the stark, forbidding 168

landscape all around. One woman was decked out in a green velvet jacket and matching pillbox hat with red trim, gold earrings and silver chains around her waist. Our rather pedestrian trekking gear must have seemed equally strange to them! As the canyon opened up, and we waited for the go-ahead at the Jangi check-point, we admired stands of Pinus gerardiana with their attractive peeling bark and broad, pendent cones. A day spent ambling up the valley from Sangla to Chitkul (3,450m) was a welcome break from a succession of long days in the vehicle. We saw Anenome rivularis, Geranium wallichianum and impressive stands of Polygonatum THE ALPINE GARDENER

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Phlomis bracteosa and, below, Primula obtusifolia on a ridge above Ranglati

verticillatum. Scattered throughout a field of buckwheat were hundreds of green and white-striped spathes of Arisaema jacquemontii, and occasional yellow ones of A. flavum. On the opposite side of the Baspa river from Chitkul we found an unidentified Polygonatum with clusters of pale mauve flowers in the leaf axils. Phlomis bracteosa had purple flowers in large whorls, forming attractive spikes. We also saw Rosa macrophylla, Polemonium caeruleum, Anemone tetrasepala and drifts of orange Potentilla atrosanguinea. Tucked away in rock crevices beside the road we noted the pale lilac flowers and soft hairy leaves JUNE 2015

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Orange Potentilla atrosanguinea appeared in large drifts 170

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The pale lilac Campanula pallida, which has soft hairy leaves

of Campanula pallida and the star-like white flowers of Minuartia kashmirica. Clusters of blue Delphinium pyramidale grew beside a grey stone wall. The final part of our itinerary included three nights at Ranglati, where we camped at 3,300m. We had planned hikes to the Rupin and Nalgan passes but it soon became evident that there was too much snow remaining there to make this worthwhile. Nevertheless, on the first day we saw Rhododendron campanulatum in bloom, large numbers of Sinopodophyllum hexandrum (one plant had 22 blooms), drifts of purple Iris kemaonensis and Gentiana carinata in both blue and white forms. JUNE 2015

A thunderstorm chased us down the mountain late in the day and the cumulative effect of snowmelt and rain provided a challenge when we had to cross a fully engorged stream. Our local guide suggested the following day that instead we should climb directly up from camp to the ridge line. This would involve an ascent of well over 1,000m. As most of the snow had gone from this ridge, he reasoned (correctly) there would be flowers. We set off early, climbing up through tussock grass and then onto a rocky scree. Not for the first time on this trip we questioned our sanity but the effort turned out to be worthwhile. 171

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First to appear were Cassiope fastigiata, Lilium nanum, Rhododendron anthopogon and Saxifraga brunonis. Vast areas of the mountain were tinted purple with Primula minutissima. Our guide found Primula obtusifolia growing in a great jumble of rocks, many the size of cars and small houses. It took us over an hour to extricate ourselves from that particular maze. Once we reached the ridge line we walked for miles, Kinner Kailash (6,059m) across the Baspa/Sangla valley always in our sights. On this, our last afternoon in the mountains, we finally saw many of the plants that had eluded us. Lagotis kunawurensis, Pleurospermum 172

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Sinopodophyllum hexandrum was seen in large numbers at Ranglati, with one plant boasting 20 flowers Opposite, Paraquilegia microphylla flowering among shattered rock Opposite below, Pleurospermum candollei

candollei, Saxifraga stenophylla and Sibbaldia purpurea all grew high on the ridge. Sheets of Oxygraphis glacialis had newly emerged in snowmelt areas. Potentilla biflora, Primula elliptica and Paraquilegia microphylla (other specific epithets have been suggested) were all JUNE 2015

in flower among the shattered rock. Finally, as we made our way down, we came across 75cm tall rose pink spikes of Morina longifolia growing beside an irrigation channel. It was a superb way to end a remarkable trip in challenging but magnificent mountains. 173

Treasures of Peru Harry Jans led the first AGS tour to Peru in March last year. Here, with the help of Daniel Montesinos, an expert on the Peruvian flora, he presents a photo essay on the country’s beguiling plants, landscapes and people

The Inca citadel of Machu Picchu and, inset, Sobralia dichotoma, an orchid found growing nearby

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Left, the Malvaceae member Abutilon peruvianum. Opposite, cushions of Azorella diapensioides and the tussock grass Festuca orthophylla dominate this highland habitat known as ‘puna’. Below, the cover of The Alpine Gardener that inspired Harry Jans to visit Peru.

y Peruvian adventure began when I saw a photograph of an exciting deep red Nototriche on the front cover of The Alpine Gardener in June 2012 (volume 80, No. 2). It was taken by Robert Rolfe on a trip he made to the south of Peru in March of the same year. The image became etched on my mind, as did all the plants Robert mentioned in his article in the same issue. After reading it, I had one wish: to see this Nototriche with my own eyes. A few months later, in April 2013, I was in London, meeting Robert to discuss a possible AGS tour to Peru. We pored over lots of papers, pictures and maps

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to put together a possible route in this large country, so little known to planthunters. I soon found out that it would be almost impossible for a party to visit the areas Robert had explored because illegal mining takes place and the territory is not safe for tourists. In addition, finding accommodation for a group of tour members would be a problem. During our meeting, Robert mentioned someone who had helped him to identify some of the plants he had found during his trip and gave me his contact details. He is Daniel Montesinos, who works for Wageningen University JUNE 2015

in the Netherlands. As I found out a bit later, Daniel is the expert on the alpine flora of southern Peru. He really knows almost every single plant! The bonus for me was that he is half Dutch and speaks my native language. What more could I wish for? In the following weeks Daniel and I put together an itinerary to cover as many different habitats of southern Peru as possible to see the widest range of plants, but also included some important tourist attractions such as Lake Titicaca, Machu Picchu and the Colca Canyon. The weather in the Peruvian Andes is very diverse, with a large variety of 177

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microclimates. Such diversity is brought about not only by the mountains themselves but by the Humboldt Current, a cold, low-salinity ocean current that flows north along the west coast of South America from the southern tip of Chile to northern Peru. The Andean highlands of southern Peru exhibit the widest range of climatic conditions. Precipitation is varied and seasonal, with rain starting in September, peaking between January and February and ending during May or late June. During the dry season the mountains are exposed to strong sunshine. Annual rainfall varies from 200mm to 800mm depending on the location. The varied 178

geography and climate of the Andes has resulted in a huge range of plant species, including many endemics. So in March last year the AGS party flew to Lima, and then on to Arequipa at 2,400m, where we stayed for a few days to acclimatise to the altitude. Then we drove to the Colca Canyon and crossed a high pass at 4,750m before descending to a little town called Cabanaconde (3,330m). Near Cabanaconde there is a vantage point where you can see the magnificent condors in flight. From Cabanaconde we moved towards Tassa (3,830m), a remote mountain village in the Moquegua region. Here we stayed in good but basic THE ALPINE GARDENER

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Right, an unidentified species of Nototriche about to come into flower. Opposite, a ‘forest’ of Puya raimondii near Tassa. The plants can live to 100 years and are monocarpic. The flower spikes can reach 10m in height.

accommodation. We were in fact the first tourists and foreigners who had stayed in the village. The local people welcomed us with music and colourful traditional costumes. Here we visited the Punku Canyon, where we saw the giant Puya raimondii. We also botanised at some higher mountains near Tassa and found many superb alpines. From Tassa we moved towards Lake Titicaca and then to Cusco, where we visited some ancient Inca sites. Our final destination was the famous Inca citadel of Machu Picchu. Near the ruins we found a different Puya species and several orchids. Sobralia dichotoma, seen on the introductory page of this JUNE 2015

article, is one of the tallest at up to 3m. It grows in warm to cool conditions at elevations of 750-2,800m in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia and has very fragrant and fleshy flowers. Although we found many different nototriches, we failed to find the redflowered plant that Robert Rolfe had seen. There is only one option: to go back in 2016, when I will be leading another AGS party. If you would like to join this tour, please contact the AGS Centre. I hope that the photographs here will give you a real flavour of the many wonders that Peru has to offer, but nothing can beat seeing them at first hand. I can’t wait. 179

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Above, Cantua buxifolia, known as the ‘sacred flower of the Incas’, is the national flower of Peru. It is a large, evergreen and tender shrub with many waxy flowers which can vary in colour from deep magenta to pink, orange and yellow. Left, Barnadesia horrida has beautiful flowers but spiny stems and leaves. It grows on scrublands in the Cusco valley. 180

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Above, Nototriche pedicularifolia is unique among nototriches because of its yellowish flowers with a black style. The leaves are also longer than any other Nototriche. This plant is quite common across the Andean landscapes of Moquegua and Arequipa. Right, Olsynium scirpoideum (syn. Sisyrinchium scirpoideum), a summer-dormant rhizomatous perennial in the Iridaceae. JUNE 2015

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Above, Gentianella luteomarginata flowers abundantly in the humid boglands of the Moquegua and Arequipa highlands. It is usually accompanied by the cushionforming Distichia muscoides and Plantago tubulosa. Left, Loricaria graveolens, like several species from Peru, looks similar to a New Zealand plant, in this case like Helichrysum coralloides. Loricaria graveolens, however, has more flat branches with a kind of wool between the compact packed leaves. The flowers are yellow, positioned on top of the branches. It inhabits rocky slopes at up to 4,600m. 182

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Above, Hesperoxiphion is a South American genus in the Iridaceae and grows on open stony and sunny sites in the Cusco area. This is H. herrerae – there is also a yellow species, H. peruvianum. Right, Calceolaria angustiflora, a shrub common in the southern mountains of Peru. The flowers are cup-shaped and are produced in the rainy season. JUNE 2015

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Hats are big business in Peru, as can be seen from the stall at Pisaq market on the left and the images on this page of the local people in Tassa wearing their colourful costumes. Opposite, alpacas graze at elevations of 2,500m to 4,500m on the harsh altiplano of the Andes. They are feeding here on Distichia muscoides (known as alpaca moss), a member of the Juncaceae, which grows in high moorland conditions. JUNE 2015

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Above, Nototriche pedatiloba is reportedly endemic to Peru. During anthesis, the petals are dark purple, turning white. It is pollinated by a variety of insects. Left, the Andean nettle, Caiophora rosulata, known in Peru as ‘Kisa’ or ‘Ninasanco’, is a small plant with bright orange flowers and has a powerful sting! It is credited with having various medicinal properties. 186

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Above, Nototriche obcuneata, one of the most beautiful of the genus discovered so far in the southern Andes. Right, Epidendrum secundum, one of the crucifix orchids, is a poorly understood reedstemmed species. There are dozens of varieties, and some botanists argue that several of these deserve species rank. JUNE 2015

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Above left, Salvia oppositiflora, the Andean sage, is common in the valleys of Moquegua, especially close to agricultural terraces. The flowers are pollinated by hummingbirds and are used by the locals to decorate their hats. Above right, Puya ferruginea is one of the smaller of this genus, reaching up to 1m. It is widespread throughout Peru, both in the high Andes up to 4,000m and down to 400m. Here it is photographed in the Colca Canyon near Cabanaconde at 3,385m. It is pollinated by bats and is hardy down to -6C. Opposite top, we believe this is the rare Nototriche lanata, which flowers in the middle of the rainy season (March in southern Peru). It also occurs in Bolivia. Opposite below, Azorella compacta is a true alpine growing above 4,000m. It can form very hard and large cushions several metres across, some of which are estimated to be over 3,000 years old. A. compacta grows on screes and rocky places. The AGS group found the best plants at 4,800m near Chivay. The local people use the cushions for fuel. It is not too difficult in cultivation, but will not stay as compact as in its natural habitat. 188

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Above, Tecoma fulva subsp. arequipensis, endemic to Arequipa province, is an important source of nectar for hummingbirds. The flowers of these beautiful plants are currently being proposed as the emblem of Arequipa. Left, Gentianella ernestii, despite being a large plant, is not often seen. It grows in grassy banks and this specimen was photographed near Cusco at 3,820m. Opposite top, the prostrate Geranium sessiliflorum, which reaches only 7cm in height. It likes moist conditions and we found it growing among small shrubs in the Chiguata valley at 3,700m. Opposite below, the flowers of an unnamed Perezia species, another moisture-lover. 70

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Oron Peri is the author of Bulbs of the Eastern Mediterranean, a field guide to a fascinating flora which is due to be published by the AGS later this year. In this short article, Oron looks at the plant life on Mount Hermon, a cluster of peaks where the borders of Lebanon, Israel and Syria meet. Much of the area is now almost impossible to access because of security restrictions in this turbulent part of the world

A sampling of Mount Hermon

Astragalus cruentiflorus 192

ount Hermon is where the borders of Lebanon, Israel and Syria meet. The Mount Hermon cluster is situated in the southern part of the Anti-Lebanon range, which crosses Lebanon and Syria from north-east to south-west, parallel to the Mediterranean coast. At 2,814m, Mount Hermon is the second highest peak in the Eastern Mediterranean after Mount Lebanon at 3,088m, which is in the Mount Lebanon range to the west. The floras of the Anti-Lebanon and Mount Lebanon ranges are similar in THE ALPINE GARDENER

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A mixed plant community on the slopes of Mount Hermon

botanical terms, mainly influenced by the Irano-Turanian element with a high percentage of endemics. Despite being geographically close to Europe, the flora is very different from that of the European mountains, due mainly to the sea barriers and a very different and dry climate. Only five per cent of the flora on Mount Hermon can be found in Europe. JUNE 2015

Mount Hermon consists of Jurassic limestone which, as the result of climatic processes, has developed a karstic topography of fissures, sinkholes, underground streams and caverns. The alpine belt is found between 1,900m and 2,814m and is characterised by spiny cushion plants such as Astragalus and Onobrychis cornuta, which are known 193

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Patches of snow on Mount Hermon in Syria and, left, Tragacantha (=Astragalus) ehrenbergii

collectively by the term ‘Tragacanth vegetation’ or ‘hedgehog heaths’. Within the belt there are two main habitats: rocky steppes and slopes and, at lower elevations, meadows in the dolines (natural basins or valleys). Annual precipitation on Mount Hermon can reach 1,500mm and regularly appears in the alpine belt in the form of snow for three to five months a year, usually starting at the end of November or early December to last in some years until June. Summer lasts for six to seven months, during which there is no rainfall at all. Despite what 194

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Allium sannineum and, right, Convolvulus libanoticus. Below, the Papaveraceae member Glaucium oxylobum

can be an enormous amount of snow on the mountain, it melts rapidly in spring. In the dolines, where soil has been accumulated by erosion, the conditions remain wetter for longer. Mount Hermon’s dry conditions are similar to those in Israel’s Upper Negev Desert, situated approximately 400km to the south. As a result, many species that grow on Mount Hermon can be found on the high plateau of the Negev Desert as well. More than 1,200 species grow on Mount Hermon, of which approximately 120 can be found in the alpine belt. Unfortunately, the alpine belt is a highly JUNE 2015

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A delicately poised specimen of Corydalis erdelii

sensitive military zone and cannot be reached without special permission, which is almost impossible to obtain. Mount Hermon’s summit straddles the border between Syria and Lebanon and is the highest point in Syria. At the top there is the so-called ‘Hermon Hotel’, in the buffer zone between Syria and Israeli-occupied territory, which is the highest permanently manned 196

United Nations position in the world. The southern slopes of Mount Hermon extend to the Israeli-occupied portion of the Golan Heights, where the Mount Hermon ski resort is located. A peak in this area rising to 2,236m is the highest in Israeli-controlled territory. During the past two years I have had the opportunity to visit the Mount Hermon area, where I have documented THE ALPINE GARDENER

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Romulea nivalis ‘chasing’ the snow in spring and, right, in close-up

a few species that have never before been recorded in the Israeli territory. The spring flowering season in the alpine belt starts in late April or early May and lasts for approximately two months. As in other alpine zones, bulbous plants are the first to appear, just days after snowmelt. Here it is Romulea nivalis that seems to chase the snow, to be followed by plants such as Corydalis rutifolia and C. erdelii, Gagea libanotica, Eremurus spectabilis, Bellevalia hermonis, several alliums including the white-flowered Allium libani, and the beautiful Tulipa JUNE 2015

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A white form of Veronica orientalis 198

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The Oncocyclus Iris westii and, right, Tulipa lownei. Below right, Allium libani

lownei which, curiously, opens its flowers around 3pm. Species that flower in autumn grow and set seed in no time. Populations of Sternbergia clusiana, despite growing at higher elevations, are the first to flower, followed by gems including Crocus pallasii subsp. pallasii. At times it can seem as if there has been an explosion of flowers and their pollinators: Mount Hermon is a paradise for butterflies, with around 100 species recorded. JUNE 2015

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The view across Lake Pedder from Mount Anne

have climbed Mount Anne in southern Tasmania four times over a period of 30 years. The views from its slopes are magnificent and it offers many endemic plants. Mount Anne is a two-hour drive west from the Tasmanian capital Hobart and the climb to the summit of 1,423m can be very tiring on a sunny summer’s day, with the low vegetation providing no shade. It can be done as a day trip but, if one is to study the plants, an overnight camp would be the best option. The peak was named in 1830 by George Frankland, the Surveyor General of what was then called Van Diemen’s Land, after his wife Anne. It is the highest mountain 200

Fascinating flora from the far south in southern Tasmania with exceptional views across Lake Pedder to the west. There is a car park at Condominium Creek at the base of the mountain in the midst of Bauera rubioides and low Eucalyptus. The Bauera is very variable here, with many plants bearing white THE ALPINE GARDENER

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The golden yellow flowers and turquoise sepals of Hibbertia procumbens

Ken Gillanders recounts some of the many endemic and special plants that can be found on Mount Anne and the Eliza Plateau in southern Tasmania

or pink semi-double or double flowers. Scrambling among the trees, where it can get plenty of sunlight, Hibbertia procumbens covers itself with bright golden flowers. After the petals have fallen, the large sepals are equally attractive with a light turquoise colour. JUNE 2015

The track goes up relentlessly but erosion has taken its toll due to the heavy annual rainfall of about 1,250mm. Tasmania’s Parks and Wildlife Service is responsible for maintaining the track. Among the low-growing shrubs are Bauera and Boronia citriodora, with its delightful citrus-scented foliage. The flowers of this shrub vary from very pale to deep pink. In the numerous gullies are some tall plants that thrive on the high concentration of water in this area. There are also two Proteaceae representatives: Agastachys odorata is up to 2m tall with terminal heads of white flowers, while Telopea truncata, our endemic waratah, 201

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Richea scoparia flowers can be red, shades of pink, yellowish, orange or white

grows as scattered plants though is more plentiful in other areas. It is spectacular in December with its bright red flowers. Two genera from the Ericaceae are here. Trochocarpa gunnii has small white bell-shaped flowers which are followed by mauve fruits, while several species of Cyathodes all have white flowers and red or pink fruit in profusion. Tasmannia lanceolata, formerly named Drimys lanceolata, is quite a dwarf shrub in high areas. It is most attractive with its reddish stems and clusters of black fruits on female plants. The leaves have a very strong peppery taste and it is commonly known as the pepper bush. A flavouring 202

product produced from the plant is now commercially available in Tasmania. A hut, known as High Camp, is at about 600m and in this area Anemone crassifolia can be found in peaty acid soil that retains moisture. Its pure white flowers are produced singly on stems up to 20cm. The leaves are divided into three segments that are notched at the edges. They are almost succulent, dark green on the surface and have a deep purple reverse. Richea scoparia, an Ericaceae member, can be a hiker’s nightmare off the track because its leaves are stiff and finish in a sharp point, and can be felt even through thick trousers. It is very THE ALPINE GARDENER

MOUNT ANNE, TASMANIA

The striking reddish-chocolate flowers of the endemic Isophysis tasmanica

variable in flower colour which can be red, shades of pink, yellowish, orange and in some populations even white. The conical corolla does not open, but falls off to expose the sexual parts of the flower. The ascent from here is at 45 degrees over and around large dolerite rocks to reach the edge of Eliza Plateau, which is part of the Mount Anne complex. The plateau offers easy walking after the last scramble over the boulders. One of the first plants to be encountered is the endemic Isophysis tasmanica with its reddish-chocolate, six-petalled, starry flowers. A yellow variant can be seen if JUNE 2015

you are lucky. This plant was formerly known as Hewardia tasmanica. At this altitude snow falls frequently between June and October and the average annual minimum temperature is zero, the maximum 10C. Astelia alpina, known as pineapple grass, is widespread with its silver leaves making huge dense cushions that exclude all other plants. It is dioecious, and its small cream flowers, held deep in the rosettes of leaves, are followed by fleshy red fruits on the female plants. We once used one of these cushions as a mattress while camping, which was quite comfortable. Among the many endemic conifers 203

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in our mountains is the creeping pine, Microcachrys tetragona. It is widespread in the higher areas forming compact mats with its square stems of tight overlapping foliage. It is also dioecious, the female producing fleshy red cones which look like raspberry fruits. This plant did at one time occur in New Zealand, where fossils have been found. Forming dense carpets up to 2m in diameter, Pentachondra pumila always seems to have flowers and fruit at the same time. The fruit takes a long while to ripen and develop colour. The deep red drupe-like berries nestle in the foliage, as do the flowers. It also occurs on high mountains on the Australian mainland and in New Zealand. Bellendena montana, commonly known as mountain rocket, is a shrub up to 60cm 204

tall with attractive notched leaves that in some forms can be glaucous green. The white flowers open from pink buds but, seen in autumn, it is magnificent with bright red, winged seeds. Known as Christmas bells, Blandfordia punicea is also found here with its bright red and yellow-tipped pendulous flowers. On the plateau there are many open areas with beds of cushion plants consisting of Abrotanella forsteroides, Dracophyllum minimum, Ewartia meredithiae, Donatia novae-zelandiae and Pterygopappus lawrencei. These intermingle to create a mosaic of different coloured mats. Dracophyllum minimum and Donatia novae-zelandiae are particularly outstanding in flower as both have numerous small white flowers in great profusion. Drosera arcturi is a THE ALPINE GARDENER

MOUNT ANNE, TASMANIA

Opposite, the so-called creeping pine, Microcachrys tetragona Right, Pentachondra pumila, bearing flowers and fruit simultaneously Below, Bellendena montana

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The red and yellow-tipped pendulous flowers of Blandfordia punicea Left, a cushion community of Dracophyllum minimum

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White-flowered Donatia novae-zelandiae with the insectivorous Drosera arcturi

small insectivorous plant with upright red-bronze hairy leaves and white flowers. It loves to colonise among the cushion plants. The Ericaceae member Sprengelia incarnata will also invade the cushion plants. Its buds are pink, opening to starry white flowers. The Eliza Plateau is one of the best places to see our endemic Geum talbotianum. It is named after Lord Talbot de Malahide, who sponsored the publication of The Endemic Flora of Tasmania. It creeps between stones with its rugose foliage covered with golden hairs above and below. The white flowers are held on 15-20cm stems. On wet screes JUNE 2015

Milligania densiflora forms clumps with spikes of creamy white flowers reaching up to 60cm. Helichrysum pumilum var. pumilum has red-backed white everlasting flowers which are produced singly on 7cm stems. I have found that many Helichrysum prefer a well-drained, even dryish soil, but this plant likes it peaty and moist. The reverse surface of the deep green leaves is white due to a covering of fine hairs. Climbing up from the plateau on to the scree, we discover mats of Anisotome procumbens. This dioecious plant was until recently in the genus Aciphylla. The reclassification makes sense because 207

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Milligania densiflora and, left, Campynema lineare

the soft dissected foliage is so unlike the rest of the aciphyllas both in Australia and New Zealand. It has umbels of small cream flowers on 7cm stems. If my memory is correct they are scented. An unusual little alpine can be seen as one climbs higher – Diplaspis cordifolia of the Apiaceae. A clump of its little umbels growing to 12cm looks most interesting. The small flowers of Campynema lineare always remind me of a Fritillaria but only because of their colour, which can be green or flushed brown. I have only ever found the latter. It grows to about 15cm and favours damp peaty 208

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Unusual yellow Ranunculus gunnianus, its normal colouring and a double form

areas. This used to be included in Liliaceae but now is one of just a few in Campynemataceae. I was inspired to write this article by Ranunculus gunnianus, a plant growing near the top of the scree and although not endemic, as are most of the other plants mentioned, this is the most beautiful form I have encountered. I have seen it growing on the Central Plateau and also on Mount Loch in Victoria. It was named by Sir William Jackson Hooker, Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, for Ronald Campbell Gunn, who was Superintendent of Convicts in JUNE 2015

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Above, the daisies of Senecio albogilvus Left, the umbels of Diplaspis cordifolia

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Mount Anne, which sits in the Unesco World Heritage-listed Tasmanian Wilderness

northern Tasmania from 1832. He was an avid collector of botanical material in Tasmania and despatched this regularly to Hooker. Numerous plants were named for him including the genus Gunnera and Chiloglottis gunnii, Rubus gunnianus, Eucalyptus gunnii and Nothofagus gunnii, to mention a few. The yellow-flowered Ranunculus generally has a reddish back to its petals, although pure yellow ones do occur. On one of our visits to Mount Anne we found a double form. Keeping this company is Senecio albogilvus (previously Senecio pectinatus var. ochroleucus) with its almost sessile white daisy-like flowers, and Celmisia JUNE 2015

saxifraga, which has rosettes of silvery foliage and 15cm stems of white daisies. On our last trip to Mount Anne, my son and I camped not far from this spot. The weather on these mountains can be very changeable, and we were lashed by fierce winds in the middle of the night. We were in a two-man tent which collapsed, the aluminium poles breaking. We spent a very damp night and were glad when daylight returned and we could make a quick retreat down the mountain. The plants mentioned in this article do not represent a full listing of the plants on Mount Anne – there are many more to be seen. 211

PLANTS FROM OUR SHOWS

he ancient region of Caria, between Ioania to the northwest and Lycia to the southeast, represented an area of some 5,700 square miles in westernmost Turkey. Modern-day Aydin and Muğla provinces encompass much of this mountainous territory, which has a rich endemic flora. Nowadays coastal towns such as Kuşadasi and Marmaris are popular tourist destinations: 200 years ago, two Britons were among noted botanists who made important botanical discoveries in their hinterlands. Several elegant, yellow (more accurately, in the main greenishyellow) species of Fritillaria are in essence variations on a theme, once confused with one another. Professor John Sibthorp and later Edward Forbes – who coincidentally had very productive but short lives – both have species named after them. F. sibthorpiana, from rather low altitudes, has one broad lower leaf, whereas those of F. forbesii (which ascends to around 1,000m and is now also known from Samos) are much narrower and number up to ten per shoot. The third of the alliance, Fritillaria carica, is far more widespread, in Izmir, Aydin, Denizli, Muğla and Antalya provinces, incremented by island populations on Samos and Chios. The latter hosts orthodox examples and others, to the north, on Mount Pelineón, whose differing characters (a sturdier stem, glabrous at the base; broader leaves and yellow-green nectaries) have led to the now accepted naming F. pelinaea. Another ‘good’ species, F. serpenticola, once considered a subspecies, has a slender rather than stout style, bright

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Fritillaria in many guises 2015 SHOWS FEATURED: South Wales, Harlow Early Spring, Loughborough, Kendal, Kent, East Lancashire COMPILED BY ROBERT ROLFE FROM REPORTS BY: Robert Amos, John Richards, Robert Rolfe, Jim Almond, Ray Drew and Peter Cunnington

yellow, more rounded flowers, and fewer (4-5 instead of 6-7), broadly lanceolate leaves. While F. carica is found in phrygana and light Pinus or Cedrus woodland, the type locality for F. serpenticola is recorded as ‘bare brown scree’. The specific epithet alludes to serpentine formations: F. carica too occurs on these, on mica schist, more often on limestone. The altitude limit has steadily crept up in field studies from 1,500m to 1,700m (1,800m in one unconfirmed report). This year’s Kent Show included a welcome selection of forms. We illustrate a delicate version (probably from Gök Tepe) and a rather taller example, to 15cm, in which the perianth segments are jauntily recurved and darker along their margins. This dates back 30 years to an introduction from Baba Dağ. Bob Wallis (whose wife Rannveig, in charge of the show, added to her duties by cross-pollinating the two exhibits, from THE ALPINE GARDENER

FARRER MEDAL WINNERS 2015 SOUTH WALES Narcissus asturiensis (Eric Jarrett) HARLOW EARLY SPRING Scilla libanotica (Bob & Rannveig Wallis) LOUGHBOROUGH Narcissus ‘Mitzy’ (Peter Furneaux) KENDAL (SRGC Forrest Medal) Dionysia aretioides (Frank & Barbara Hoyle) KENT Dionysia curviflora (Nigel Fuller) EAST LANCASHIRE Cyclamen pseudibericum (Frank & Barbara Hoyle)

Two forms of Fritillaria carica at the Kent Show. The first, above, from seed listed by Jim and Jenny Archibald, was exhibited by Jim McGregor. The second, left, from Robert Rolfe, received a Certificate of Merit

which a dozen plump seed pods have resulted) thought this second potful was fairly typical of examples from that mountain. He has examined many other populations, and in April 2014 encountered the species in abundance on Nif Dağ, above the town of Izmir. Seed set requires the presence of two or more clones, but nearly all versions produce a number of so-called ‘rice grain’ offsets around the main bulb, best grown on separately when repotting time (August/early September) comes around. Do not bury them deeply – they JUNE 2015

much prefer to rest near the surface, responding well to light liquid feeds from March until they die down in mid to late May. Normally the glaucous leaves are wavy-edged (though F. tulipifolia, under which general heading it was once classified, is fanciful): one might just as well call it ‘tulipiflora’, for in some forms the flowers resemble that genus, albeit in miniature and turned upside down.

Full show reports and more pictures can be seen on the AGS website 213

SOUTH WALES SHOW

Pictures: Jon Evans

Narcissus asturiensis (Eric Jarrett) The Farrer Medal went to this superb pan, whose flowering coincides with this show most years, but on this occasion had benefitted from the cool and bright conditions of the previous few weeks, appearing shorter of stem and more generously flowered than ever before. Galanthus fosteri (Eric Jarrett) With numerous cultivars on display, the Galanthus Goblet went to this ‘unimproved’ species. A Davis & Hedge collection from Adana, Turkey, is established in cultivation, but the species is also present in Syria and Lebanon. In sheltered gardens, it will settle down outdoors. Pseudomuscari inconstrictum (Barry Tattersall) One of seven Certificates of Merit went to this elfin, beautifully grown bulb from Cyprus. As the specific epithet denotes, its blackish or dark violet – and fragrant – flowers are bell-shaped rather than grape-like, hence its removal from the genus Muscari. 214

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HARLOW EARLY SPRING SHOW

Pictures: Jon Evans and Doug Joyce

Scilla libanotica (Bob & Rannveig Wallis) The Wallis’s 1999 introduction, probably the only one in general cultivation, has prospered when grown under cover. When slightly potbound it can produce the sort of flourish that attracts Farrer Medal votes, a first for this species, and indeed one of the very few times that the genus has received this accolade. Iris histrioides ‘Lady Beatrix Stanley’ (Peter Hurron) Dutch bulb growers have latterly refocused on reticulate irises: an influx is shortly predicted. Aside from new hybrids, the availability of old selections of Iris histrioides has been transformed. This grouping of the violet-blue selection ‘Lady Beatrix Stanley’ won the Geoff Smith Salver. Crocus cvijicii (Ivor Betteridge) Described in 1926 from Mount Galičica, this behaves as a typical snowmelt plant. Costly to acquire other than from seed, it responds well to cool, just damp conditions during its summer dormancy (a baking is resented). This group was grown from a single corm over many years. JUNE 2015

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LOUGHBOROUGH SHOW

Pictures: Jon Evans

Primula ‘Tantallon’ (David Boyd) Other hybrids have petered out but this deliberate cross between P. bhutanica and P. nana, made by Henry Taylor in 1977, is still going strong after almost 40 years. It benefits from division every two or three years and is free with its violet-blue, 3cm diameter flowers that nestle just above the farinose foliage. Crocus chrysanthus ‘Macedonian Ivory’ (Rod and Shirley Johnson) Only available in small numbers at present, this lovely selection distributed by Jānis Rukšāns is a representative of the western part of this species’ considerable range (white variants are also known from western Turkey in particular). This pert clump revelled in the strong spring sunshine. Dionysia freitagii (Derek Pickard) This, one of the few Afghan dionysias in cultivation, was shown in several shades (a notably dark-flowered selection received the Richard Regan Trophy for the best plant in a 19cm pot). Almost all belonged to Derek Pickard, who has long specialised in such plants and still strives to rear a pure red version. 216

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KENDAL SHOW

Pictures: Don Peace and Jim Almond

Dionysia aretioides (Frank & Barbara Hoyle) This species needs potting on regularly and this specimen, raised from the exhibitors’ own seed, was awarded the Forrest Medal. They recommend that during January, if the cold relents, the pot should be placed in a soak tray for an hour or so, the moisture providing a wake-up call for the flower buds. Saxifraga ‘Allendale Ghost’ (Tommy Anderson) This plant (S. ramsarica SEP 549 x poluniniana) is repotted annually in a mix of two parts John Innes No. 1, two parts grit, one part perlite and one part sharp sand, with an occasional feed of weak liquid tomato fertiliser. It shows steady rather than rapid growth, a trait inherited from its Pakistani seed parent. Narcissus ‘Trumpet Voluntary’ (Anne Wright) This exhibitor enters well-grown, novel Narcissus at the spring shows and the naming of her Narcissus ‘Trumpet Voluntary’ (unregistered) has both a musical resonance and a nod to its antecedents, for while the ‘trumpet’ species is known, the volunteer is anyone’s guess. It was raised some 14 years ago from an AGS Seed Distribution packet labelled Narcissus eugeniae. Since it is sterile, no further surprises are possible! JUNE 2015

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KENT SHOW

Pictures: Jon Evans

Androsace aff. flavescens (Eric Jarrett)This novelty was introduced by Vojtĕch Holubec from Keng Tau (Karakoram) in 2011. Easily the best of its kind seen to date, this plant had soft, stoloniferous shoots, making propagation fairly easy. Identified for now as Androsace aff. flavescens, it varies most obviously from that species in the shape and the colour – cream, not yellow – of its flowers. Hyacinthella dalmatica ‘Grandiflora’ (Joy Bishop) This predominantly Turkish genus here finds its westernmost representative, from the mountains of Croatia, Bosnia-Hercegovina and Montenegro. This selection, like a very hearty florists’ hyacinth in miniature but without the scent, is superior and possibly polyploid. Hepatica acutiloba (Rosemary Hillyar) This was the runaway winner of the Invicta Trophy for best plant in the Novice Section. Extensively distributed in calcareous, deciduous woodland at up to 1,200m, it has a rather upright bearing. Most cultivated plants are white-flowered, although delicate blue and pink phases (doubles too) are also known. 218

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EAST LANCASHIRE SHOW

Pictures: Don Peace

Iris nusairiensis (Peter Bland) David Mowle had a longstanding association with shows in the north-west, and among his interests were juno irises, which he passed on to fellow exhibitors. Part of his legacy was displayed in this plant, thought to date back to a collection made in the 1960s and awarded a Certificate of Merit. Corydalis kusnetzovii x solida (Don Peace) Corydalis solida was widely evident on the show benches but in this case had been used as the pollen parent in the creation of this as yet unnamed hybrid with C. kusnetzovii. Don Peace had selected a deep red clone of the well-known European species to mate with its Caucasian cousin. Primula allionii ‘Rosemary Burrow’ (Geoff Rollinson) Geoff won the Leander Trophy for the best small three-pan with two clones of Primula allionii and a hybrid in which the input of this species was dominant. Because it takes at least five years to produce a show specimen, this relative newcomer was showing its true worth for perhaps the first time in public. JUNE 2015

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PHOTOGRAPHIC COMPETITION

he AGS Photographic Competition celebrated its 21st anniversary in 2014, albeit with a trace of disappointment on my part. Although popular with readers of The Alpine Gardener, visitors to the website and viewers of the display boards at shows, the competition has seldom attracted more than a few dozen entrants annually, and surprisingly fewer today than when it first began. With the proliferation of digital cameras, the reverse might have been expected. Why this should be so is not entirely clear, but the move from film-based to digital images might have played a part, particularly among those less suited to change. I am well aware that ‘going digital’ necessitates a certain amount of computer know-how, which for some can be a little daunting. If you are still using slide-film, photographs can be converted to digital quite easily and without too much loss of definition (email me at photographiccompetition@ agsgroups.org for information). Each year the various classes have been reviewed in response to their popularity. In 2014, Class 5 was assigned a new brief: to submit a photograph with some unique alpine appeal or association. The

A pictorial celebration of nature Doug Joyce presents the results of the 2014 AGS Photographic Competition, sponsored by Greentours, with the winning entries in each of the five classes image could be natural, the result of serendipity, or contrived and digitally enhanced – a catch-all class, but with an essential alpine flavour. This revision has proved popular and entries ranged from a sublime digital construct of a spiral of alpine flowers to a ridiculously imaginative walking boot atop a desolate mountain cairn. At every level and in every class the message is clear: avoid too ‘formulaic’ an approach in your photography (except where accuracy and detailed botanical imagery is needed) and attempt to

or the technically minded, wherever possible camera make, model and type have been listed here with the actual lens focal length setting and, in parenthesis, the equivalent focal length (EFL) in a standard-frame 35mm SLR film camera (or full-frame DSLR). The latter value (EFL) enables a direct comparison of the picture angle across all camera models, thereby instantly distinguishing wide-angle (<35mm), from standard/normal (35-85mm) or telephoto scenes (>85mm), the diagonal viewing angles equating to greater than 63° for wide-angle scenes and to less than 29° for telephoto shots.

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convey the excitement of the world as you feel it and not how your camera views it. Our eyes see with emotion, scanning a scene and creating an image to endure, but the camera records only a dispassionate snapshot in time. I hope you will enjoy our prize-winning photographs and even be inspired to enter some of your own this year. Class One: An alpine or rock plant in a natural (wild) landscape, with both plant(s) and landscape featured. Care should be taken to feature prominently JUNE 2015

Class 1: First Bill Raymond, Iwerne Minster, Blandford, Dorset, UK. Lathraea clandestina, Pic d’Anie, French Pyrenees. June 2013. Camera: Canon PowerShot S95 (compact), 6-22.5mm lens at a focal length of 6mm (equivalent 28mm). Exposure 1/4 second at f8, ISO 80.

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Class 1: Second Hilary Birks, Bjørndalstræ, Norway. Campanula biebersteiniana in alpine tundra at the head of the Mukhu Valley, Dombaj, Russian Caucasus. June 2013. Camera: Pentax K110D (DSLR), 18mm lens (equivalent 27mm). Exposure 1/60 second at f22, ISO 800.

a plant or group of plants in an alpine setting. The scenery should support and not dominate the composition, but convey a sense of context and geographical location. Bill Raymond’s winning photograph 222

of Lathraea clandestina looks wonderful when projected at high definition onto a large screen. The clusters of deep purple flowers emerging from their carpet of leaves convey all the excitement of springtime in a mountain woodland. THE ALPINE GARDENER

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The fresh green leaves of hepaticas give way to a forest of rocks, trees and mosses, softening the scene while enriching the deep foreground tones. This was taken with an inexpensive compact camera but through a photographer’s eye. In second place, Hilary Birks transports us to the Russian Caucasus to share in the discovery of Campanula biebersteiniana high in the alpine tundra. The association of a beautiful plant growing in a forbidding landscape is exciting but slightly unnerving. One of the main advantages of a bridge camera is that it is light and portable while combining the benefits of wideJUNE 2015

Class 1: Third Roger Brownbridge, Harrogate, North Yorkshire, UK. Viola calcarata, Riffelsee, Zermatt, Switzerland. June 2014. Camera: Sony DSC-HX300 (DigitalBridge), 4.3-215mm lens at a focal length of 4.3mm (equivalent 24mm). Exposure 1/800 second at f8, ISO 200.

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Class 2: First Tony Hughes, Malvern, Worcestershire, UK. Pulsatilla vernalis, southern slopes of Monte Cervino (Matterhorn) above Breuil-Cervinia, north-west Italy. July 2014. Camera: Pentax K-30 (DSLR) fitted with a 50mm macro-lens (equivalent 75mm). Exposure 1/100 second at f22, ISO 200.

angle through to super-zoom options in a single package: ideal for walking in the mountains. Roger Brownbridge has used his camera’s widest angle with its smallest aperture to capture an evocative scene in Switzerland. Nonphotographers may be surprised to learn that the nearest violas were likely to have been just an inch or so in front of the lens while the Matterhorn is clearly a good distance away, yet all is in sharp focus, distilling in a single view the whole essence of the Alps. Class Two: Portrait of an alpine or rock plant in the wild, featuring the entire plant. In this class the essential

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Class 2: Second Bill Raymond, Iwerne Minster, Blandford, Dorset, UK. Sempervivum arachnoideum, Valnontey, Gran Paradiso, Italy. June 2007. Camera: Canon PowerShot A95 (compact), 7.8-23.4mm lens at a focal length of 7.8mm (equivalent 38mm). Exposure 1/160 second at f8, ISO 100. JUNE 2015

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Class 2: Third Zeng Gang, Sichuan Alpine Ecology Study Centre, China. Aconitum pulchellum, Jiujinshan, Sichuan Province, China. August 2014 Camera: Nikon D810 (DSLR) fitted with a 200mm microlens (equivalent 300mm). Exposure 1/125 second at f16, ISO 1000.

Class 3: First (seen on the front cover of this issue) Zeng Gang, Sichuan Alpine Ecology Study Centre, China. Meconopsis sp., Jiujinshan, Sichuan Province, China. August 2014. Camera: Nikon D810 (DSLR), fitted with a 200mm micro-lens (equivalent 300mm). Exposure 1/40 second at f20, ISO 500. 226

element is to feature a plant more in the manner of a botanical study. Tony Hughes’ winning image of Pulsatilla vernalis illustrates the benefits of owning a specialist macro-lens to capture the detail in flowers. It clearly helps to find a subject with exciting features, but viewing position, lighting and camera settings are all in the hands of the photographer. Few people seem to bother THE ALPINE GARDENER

PHOTOGRAPHIC COMPETITION

photographing houseleeks. From a photographer’s perspective, however, they make excellent subjects, particularly when in flower. In second place, Bill Raymond illustrates Sempervivum arachnoideum as you have never really appreciated it before. With its striking flowers, furry buds and textured-woven rosettes, it is an exciting little alpine that can be grown and cherished by everyone. Zeng Gang’s simple yet delightful portrait of a petite aconite was obviously taken on a wet day. The low light levels have had the effect of intensifying the blue of the petals, which are clearly defined against the greenish wash of background vegetation. JUNE 2015

Class 3: Second Tony Duffey, Southport, Merseyside, UK. Tricyrtis ‘Bright Edge’ in the photographer’s garden. August 2014. Camera: Pentax K10D (DSLR) fitted with a Pentax 100mm macro lens (equivalent 150mm). Exposure 8 seconds at f19, ISO 200.

Class Three: Close-up detail of an alpine or rock plant in the wild or in cultivation, with leaves included as appropriate. Here the objective should be to reveal the more intimate beauty of alpines by emphasising any features 227

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Class 3: Third Tony Hughes, Malvern, Worcestershire, UK. Ophrys tenthredinifera, Sicily. April 2014. Camera: Pentax K-30 (DSLR) fitted with a 50mm macro-lens (equivalent 75mm). Exposure 1/100 second at f32, ISO 800.

of special interest, such as individual flower(s), groups of leaves or magnified floral structures. Just a few minutes after Zeng Gang took his photograph of the aconite already featured, he moved on to shoot the poppy seen on the cover of this issue. The presence of the raindrops on the petals and of those lodged in the surrounding spiky hairs adds considerable drama to the image, which is technically highly competent. In second place, Tony Duffey’s closeup of a Tricyrtis conveys astonishing 228

colours and detail and helps us to see the plant with a renewed perspective. Likewise, in third place, Tony Hughes has captured a single flower of the sawfly orchid, Ophrys tenthredenifera, in all its exotic colour, form and texture. Class Four: Alpine fauna in the wild, in a mountain landscape or in association with alpine plants. Photographing butterflies is popular with our botanical travellers. Yet they are not the easiest subjects, being flighty and almost constantly in motion, THE ALPINE GARDENER

PHOTOGRAPHIC COMPETITION

vibrating or shivering their wings even when alighted. Tony Hughes, in first place, has overcome all these difficulties to produce a delightful image. Moths are generally more co-operative subjects than their near cousins. Despite its olive-green livery, Hilary Birks’ portrait of a willowherb hawkmoth has that special exotic and unfamiliar appearance which attracts our attention. Aside from the grass heads, which enhance the composition with their arching countenance, there are no unwanted elements to distract us. JUNE 2015

Class 4: First Tony Hughes, Malvern, Worcestershire, UK. Aporia crataegi (black-veined white butterfly), Cogne Valley, north-west Italy. June 2014. Camera: Pentax K-30 (DSLR) fitted with a 70-300mm telephoto-zoom lens at 210mm (equivalent 315mm). Exposure 1/320sec at f29, ISO 1600.

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Class 4: Second Hilary Birks, Bjørndalstræ, Norway. Proserpinus proserpina (willowherb hawkmoth), Nemrut Crater, west of Lake Van, Turkey. May 2014. Camera: Nikon Coolpix S8200 (compact) with 4.5-63.0mm lens at a focal length of 12.5mm (equivalent 69mm). Exposure 1/320 second at f4.4, ISO 100.

Serendipity can play a large part in photographing fauna in the wild. It is often an advantage to have one’s camera set to ‘auto mode’, so at least you are almost guaranteed to grab a photograph before the subject has fled in alarm. Pam Turtle couldn’t believe her luck when this chukar partridge remained unconcerned by her presence and she was able to capture a beautifully sharp image of the bird. Class Five: The Alpine Gallery. A photographic work with some unique ‘alpine appeal’, whether naturally

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Class 4: Third Pam Turtle, Sible Hedingham, Essex, UK. Alectoris chukar (chukar partridge), Poseidon, Greece. March 2014. Camera: Canon PowerShot G9 (compact) with 7.4-44.4mm lens at a focal length of 44.4mm (equivalent 210mm). Exposure 1/318 second at f4.8, ISO 125.

inspired or created using any advanced software techniques. There are no restrictions on the choice of subject matter. Although the digital manipulation of photographs is not to everyone’s taste, it is an art form that cannot be disregarded, especially in a photographic competition. The possibilities are simply endless and often easy to perform at JUNE 2015

the touch of a key. In common with any visual art, subject matter chosen at random and arranged without skill, thought or construction is seldom pleasing. On the other hand, the artisan can transform a scene to great effect, and in his ‘misty creation’ of a trio of Hepatica flowers Tony Duffey has added atmosphere and mystery to possibly an otherwise uninspired portraiture. For 231

PHOTOGRAPHIC COMPETITION

the technical, the original photograph was processed in Photoshop Elements 9, followed by a Perfect Effects Filter ‘Deep Forest’ to give a soft focus, highkey effect. In second place, the silhouette of man and horse in Hilary Birks’ photograph fires the imagination, leaving many unanswered questions. This is a fine example of an image captured with emotion, as I mentioned earlier. In third place, Bill Raymond also chose to depict an alpine landscape to inspire us but from a different perspective. Bill has expertly portrayed his ‘Arcadian idyll’ of trees, pasture, high valleys, rugged snow-capped mountains and ethereal clouds. 232

Class 5: First and overall 2014 AGS Photographic Competition winner Tony Duffey, Southport, Merseyside, UK. Hepatica trio taken in ‘kitchen studio’ at home. Class 5: Third (opposite) Bill Raymond, Iwerne Minster, Blandford, Dorset, UK. An alpine landscape: early morning in the Cirque de Lescun, French Pyrenees. June 2013. Camera: Canon PowerShot S95 (compact) with 6-22.5mm lens at a focal length of 6mm (equivalent 28mm). Exposure 1/200 second at f/8, ISO 80. THE ALPINE GARDENER

PHOTOGRAPHIC COMPETITION

Class 5: Second Hilary Birks, Bjørndalstræ, Norway. Mount Oshten, Lago-Naki National Park, Russian Caucasus. June 2013. Camera: Nikon Coolpix S8200 (compact) with 4.5-63.0mm lens at a focal length of 16mm (equivalent 89mm). Exposure 1/1250 second at f4.6, ISO 100.

JUNE 2015

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ISSN 1475-0449