WELCOME TO BLOG NUMBER 17 IT IS BECOMING QUITE DIFFICULT TO FIND FLOWERS NOW IN THE GARDEN, SO THIS WILL PROBABLY BE THE LAST BLOG FOR A LITTLE WHILE. AND UNFORTUNATELY I HAVE SOME BAD NEWS FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO DON’T ALREADY KNOW. I HAVE BEEN DIAGNOSED WITH BOWEL AND LIVER CANCER AND HAVE JUST STARTED A FAIRLY AGGRESSIVE REGIME OF CHEMOTHERAPY WHICH, WHILST UNABLE TO CURE ME, WILL AT LEAST ENABLE ME TO KEEP GOING AS LONG AS POSSIBLE. I DON’T KNOW YET WHAT SIDE EFFECTS I WILL SUFFER FROM BUT AM HOPING FOR THE BEST. WE ARE BOTH TRYING TO BE VERY POSITIVE, CHEERFUL AND CARRYING ON REGARDLESS. NEITHER OF US DO SYMPATHY VERY WELL, SO KEEP POSITIVE WITH US PLEASE

LET’S MOVE ON TO A MORE CHEERFUL SUBJECT AND LOOK AT SOME WONDERFUL AUTUMN FLOWERS ESPECIALLY THE AUTUMN FLOWERING BULBS WHICH ARE PARTICULARLY GOOD THIS YEAR.

JEREMY

REMEMBER THIS UNPREPOSSING POT OF BULBS I SHOWED YOU IN THE LAST BLOG, I TOOK THIS PICTURE ON 15TH AUGUST JUST BEFORE GIVING IT A SOAK TO REPLICATE THE AUTUMN RAINS IT WOULD HAVE HAD IN SOUTH AFRICA

29TH AUGUST

2ND SEPTEMBER

FINALLY IN ALL ITS GLORY;- IT IS HAEMANTHUS COCCINEUS. IT COMES FROM THE WINTER RAINFALL AREA OF THE SOUTHERN CAPE OF SOUTH AFRICA. IT LIKES TO BE POT BOUND AS YOU CAN SEE, AND THE LEAVES ONLY APPEAR AFTER IT HAS FINISHED FLOWERING, THEY ARE QUITE LONG STRAP SHAPED AND BRIGHT GREEN WITH A VERY ATTRACTIVE DARK RED MARKING ON THE UNDERSIDE

THERE ARE SO MANY REALLY INTERESTING AND ATTRACTIVE BULBOUS FROM SOUTH AFRICA, I CANNOT UNDERSTAND WHY WE DON’T GROW MORE OF THEM IN OUR GARDENS, MANY OF THEM ARE PERFECTLY HARDY, AND WITH GLOBAL WARMING AND OUR CHANGING CLIMATE, A LOT OF THE MARGINALLY HARDY ONES WILL BE ABLE TO SURVIVE ESPECIALLY IN PLACES LIKE FELIXSTOWE! ARE REALLY DOING WELL AFTER OUR LONG HOT DRY SUMMER

COLCHICUM AUTUMNALE

ON THE LEFT SPECIOSUM OFTEN SOLD AS ROSY DAWN , AND ON THE RIGHT I’M NOT SURE, I GREW IT FROM SEED, AND THE LABEL IS LOST BUT VERY EARLY AND A LOVELY LIGHT SHADE OF PINK A FEW MORE COLCHICUMS ON THE LEFT IS C, CUPANII WHICH HAS BEEN GROWING AND MULTIPLYING WITH ME FOR YEARS. AFTER THE GREAT GALE OF 1987 IT WAS BURIED UNDER BROKEN GLASS FROM MY ALPINE HOUSE

I’M NOT SURE WHAT THIS ONE ABOVE IS , BUT I HAVE GROWN BOTH FROM SEED THE ONE ON THE LEFT STILL HAS ITS LABEL AND IS COLCHICUM PUSILUM CONTINUING WITH COLCHICUMS, WHO WOULD HAVE BELIEVED THAT THEY ARE GROWING WILD IN SUFFOLK? THE NEXT FEW IMAGES WERE TAKEN AT MARTIN’S MEADOW IN MONEWDON, A SITE RUN BY SUFFOLK WILDLIFE TRUST, THE MEADOWS HAVE NEVER BEEN “ENHANCED” BY MODERN AGRICULTURE, NO ARTIFICIAL FERTILISER, HERBICIDES OR PESTICIDES AND ARE A HAVEN FOR WILD FLOWERS LOTS OF ORCHID IN SUMMER AND AMAZING COLCHICUMS NOW

SUNCHARM

RASPBERRY DUKE OF YORK

FOR YOUR EYES ONLY

RA

THEY ARE COLCHICUM AUTUMNALE, COMING IN TWO COLOUR FORMS, WHITE AND PALE MAUVE COLCHICUM LUTEUM

THIS IS A VERY UNUSUAL COLCHICUM, NEARLY ALL OTHER SPECIES ARE IN SHADES OF PINK OR WHITE THIS AS YOU CAN SEE AND THE NAME SUGGESTS IS A BRIGHT YELLOW. THIS ISN’T ONE OF MY PHOTOS, BUT I HAVE SEEN IT GROWING IN THE WILD . WE WERE VERY BRAVE AND WENT ON A HUNTING TRIP TO KAZAKHSTAN SEVERAL YEARS AGO, THE 0NLY TROUBLE WAS AS SOON AS WE ARRIVED WE HAD HEAVY SNOW WHICH IS NOT MUCH GOOD FOR DISCOVERING FLOWERS! HOWEVER WE PERSEVERED, AND THE WEATHER IMPROVED SLIGHTLY ENABLING US TO DO A TRIP INTO THE “HEAVENLY MOUNTAINS” -THE TIEN SHAN RANGE CLOSE TO THE CHINESE BORDER. OUR GUIDE SET US UP WITH SOME VERY SCRAWNY AND UNWILLING HORSES WHO LOOKED AS THOUGH THEY HAD JUST BEEN ROUNDED UP OFF THE STEPPES. NOTHING DAUNTED WE SET OFF HIGH INTO THE MOUNTAINS THROUGH FREEZING FOG;- AS WE GOT HIGHER THE SNOW WAS COVERING ALL THE FLOWERS. ANGELA SENSIBLY STAYED IN A HUT, BUT OUR GUIDE TOOK SOME OF US ON A TREK TO FIND THIS COLCHICUM. EVENTUALLY HAVING CROSSED SNOW COVERED LOG BRIDGES OVER RAGING TORRENTS WE FOUND ONE, AND TO GET IT TO OPEN ITS PETALS OUR GUIDE BREATHED ON IT MELTING THE SNOW SO WE COULD SEE IT! NOW FOR SOME REAL AUTUMN , CROCUS ARE IN THE IRIS FAMILY WHEREAS THE COLCHICUMS YOU HAVE JUST BEEN LOOKING AT ARE IN THE LILY FAMILY

CROCUS COME IN MANY DIFFERENT WITHIN THE SAME SPECIES, THESE TWO I BELIEVE ARE BOTH CROCUS SPECIOSUS IN BOTH WHITE AND PALE BLUE. FORMS. ALWAYS ONE OF THE VERY FIRST TRUE AUTUMN CROCUS TO FLOWER CROCUS TOURNEFORTII I THINK;- PATTI PECK GAVE ME SOME SEED FROM ONE OF HER SEED COLLECTING TRIPS TO CRETE, I HOPE I’VE GOT IT CORRECTLY IDENTIFIED

THIS ONE IS CROCUS GOULIMYI AND COMES FROM THE PELOPPONESE IN SOUTHERN GREECE.IT IS VERY SLENDER, AND VERY QUICKLY FLOPS IN WIND OR RAIN

THERE ARE LOTS MORE DIFFERENT SPECIES POPPING UP ALONG OUR DRIVE AT THE MOMENT, IT IS A REAL JOY TO HAVE SUCH DELICATE FLOWERS TO CHEER US UP WITH WINTER AHEAD THESE FLOWERS, HOWEVER, EVEN THOUGH THEY LOOK LIKE CROCUS ARE DEFINITELY NOT, THEY ARE STERNBERGIA FROM GREECE, AND THE HOT SUMMER THIS YEAR HAS REALLY BENEFITTED THEM

NOW FOR A BRIEF BOTANY LECTURE. YOU’VE NOW SEEN PLANTS FROM THE THREE MAIN BULB FAMILIES COLCHICUMS FROM THE FAMILY LILIACEAE WHICH HAVE THEIR SEED CAPSULE IN FRONT OF THE PETALS AND THEIR BULBS ARE OFTEN DIVIDED INTO SEPARATE SEGMENTS CROCUS FROM THE FAMILY, THEY NORMALLY HAVE THE SEED CAPSULE PRODUCED BEHIND THE FLOWER AND TEND TO HAVE OR RHIZOMES RATHER THAN BULBS STERNBERGIA FROM AMARYLLIDACEAE, THESE AGAIN HAVE SEED CAPSULES BEHIND THE FLOWER, AND ARE DEFINITELY BULBS RATHER THAN CORMS OR RHIZOMES ALL BULBOUS PLANT FAMILIES HAVE PETALS GROUPED IN THREES, THERE IS AN EXCEPTION, IPHEON SELLOWIANUM BUT A BULB EXPERT ONCE TOLD ME , I THINK IT’S AN ABERRATION. AUTUMN IN THE GARDEN WOULD NOT BE COMPLETE WITHOUT SOME CYCLAMEN, WHICH THIS YEAR HAVE BEEN PARTICULARLY FINE. THE TOP TWO ARE OF COURSE C. HEDERIFOLIUM, AND BE- LOW IS ANOTHER SPECIES WHICH IS BEST GROWN UNDER GLASS C, MIRABILE SO CALLED BECAUSE IT HAS RATHER NICE PINK SPLASHES ON ITS LEAVES, IT IS SAID THAT YOU CAN HAVE A CYCLAMEN IN FLOWER EVERY DAY OF THE YEAR, PROVIDED YOU HAVE INVESTED IN MOST OF THE DOZENS OF DIFFERENT SPECIES, SOME OF WHICH ARE VERY TRICKY TO GROW

JUST TO ROUND UP THE BOTANY LECTURE, CYCLAMEN ARE DEFINITELY NOT BULBS, THEY ARE MEMBERS OF THE PRIMULA FAMILY NERINES HAVE DONE SO WELL THIS YEAR, THIS ONE IS A BIT DARKER THAN MOST, AND IS HARDY, THOUGH MANY OF THE REALLY BRIGHT COLOURED ONES AREN’T

A VERY GOOD PLANT FOR LATE AUTUMN COLOUR CERATOSTIGMA PLUMBAGINOIDES, THE COLOUR HERE DOESN’T REALLY DO IT JUSTICE THOUGH NOW FOR SOME EXOTICS, BOTH FROM CHILE FROM HIGH UP IN THE ANDES, THE TOP ONE IS RHODOPHIALA ANDICOLA, WHICH WE HAVE SEEN GROWING AMONGST A GROVE OF MONKEY PUZZLES

THIS STRANGE LOOKING PLANT IS A FASCICULARIA. LOOKS A BIT LIKE COARSE GRASS DURING MOST OF THE YEAR, BUT SUDDENLY IN SEPTEMBER ITS LEAVES TURN BRIGHT RED, AND IN THE CENTRE APPEARS A POWDER BLUE CLUSTER OF FLOWERS, IT’S A BIT EARLY TO SEE THEM HERE, BUT BY THE END OF OCTOBER THEY SHOULD BE OUT IT IS IN FACT A BROMELLIAD TWO FINAL AUTUMN PLANTS, AT THE TOP LIRIOPE MUSCARI, AND BELOW A LOVELY DARK FLOWERED IRIS UNGUICULARIS WHICH HAS JUST STARTED TO FLOWER THE GRAPE HARVEST IS ABOUT TO GET UNDER WAY AT THE ALLOTMENT, THE WARM SUMMER HAS HELPED GIVE A VERY GOOD CROP

ROB, THE AUSTRALIAN GROWER HOPES TO GET ABOUT 150 BOTTLES THIS YEAR, I WONDER WHAT IT WILL TASTE LIKE?

ANGELA’S PROJECT THIS SUMMER IS NOW COMPLETE AND HER MODESTY IS NOW PRESERVED BOTH FRONT AND

REAR

TO TAKE OUR MINDS OFF THINGS IN THE EVENING, WE HAVE NOW FOUND ANOTHER CRAFT, THESE ARE JAPANESE TEMARI BALLS. THEY ARE VERY INTRICATE AND TAKE A LOT OF CONCENTRATION, SEW EACH EVENING WE BOTH SIT HERE STITCHING AWAY!

WITH ALL THE RAINBOWS APPEARING IN WINDOWS DURING LOCKDOWN IN HONOUR OF THE NHS, I THOUGHT I’D HAVE MY OWN LITTLE HOMAGE TO THE DOCTORS AND NURSES, THIS IS A PICTURE OF MY SOCK DRAWER!!! FROM MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE NOW, I MUST SAY, THAT THE DOCTORS AND NURSES HAVE BEEN ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC, CARING HAPPY AND CHEERFUL ALL THE TIME;- WE ARE SO LUCKY TO HAVE THE NHS THAT’S ALL FOLKS KEEP SAFE AND CHEERFUL