JOURNALJOURNAL Friends of the “Shamrock” Hydrangea Collection journal n° 24 - 2013 w w w . h o r t e n s i a s - h y d r a n g e a . c o m EDITORIAL by Bryan Woy, President Dear Friends of Shamrock As we finally come out of the wettest autumn and winter that the C o n t e n t s Collection has ever seen (which has disrupted planning and execution of our spring work), let's hope that when you read these lines we will all be enjoying better weather. Ed i t o r ia l The many activities in 2012 that you can read about in this edition of our by Bryan Woy.............................. p . 1 Journal are a sign of the growing interest people have these days in the Act iv i t ies o f t he Soci et y... p . 2 Hydrangeas of James Grant Hydrangea genus, with its species and many cultivars, both new and by Roger Dinsdale............................ p . 3 - 4 old. We can now confidently predict that it will prove to be the plant of Gr o w i n g H. s e r r a t a the 21st century. by Jean-Pierre Péan..................... p . 5 Media review...................................... p . 6 As far as the Collection is concerned, our reputation continues to grow. Look at ‘Daruma’... In addition to a number of publications and broadcasts during the past by Pierre Le Claire....................... p . 7 year, Shamrock is to be included in a special 16-page booklet, printed in Fr om ou r m em b er s............... p . 8 15,000 copies, on the top five gardens in the Dieppe-Maritime area; this A b o u t H . Da v i di i will help all those who love our territory to promote its exceptional wealth by Corinne Mallet......................... p . 9 - 1 0 in floral and landscape parks and gardens. History of explorers on Dejima by Marion & Mathias Riedel........ p . 1 1 One particular fact emerges: while, ever since the beginning, we have An Exceptional Courson flower show p . 1 2 always propagated the plants in the La dy, Fr a u, M m e..... collection, and have thus been enga- Angers Symposium 2012 ged in typically agricultural activities, by Bernard Schumpp................... p . 1 3 - 1 4 we are now better able to organize Ca rl L i nn ae us this essential activity. Our sales of by André Diéval........................... p . 1 5 Sh am r ock Aw ar ds & New young cuttings in trays, of the kind Pl ant s .... .... .... .... .... .... .... p . 1 6 we present at Courson, are going to Dichroa versicolor, a hybrid... continue, and will be added to the by Glyn Church..................................... p. 1 7 - 1 8 sale of layers, taken in early spring, Act iv i ti es of t h e S oci et y.. p . 1 9 which we produce in large quantities Sh am r oc k Ev en t s every year. Ear l y H . sc a nd en s by Jean-Pierre Péan..................... p . 2 0 Our successes should not, however, mask our Society's precarious finan- cial situation, which barely covers our annual operating costs. The par- ticipation of all our members, both E d i t o r i a l te a m : Glyn Church, André Dièval, Roger Dinsdale, financially through their subscriptions Daniel Kuszac, Pierre Le Claire, Corinne Mallet, Robert Mallet, Jean-Pierre Péan, Marion et Mathias Riedel, Bernard Schumpp, and physically through the work they Bryan Woy. E n g l i s h T r a n s l a t i o n a n d D r a w i n g s : Bryan Woy. contribute, remains essential to the C h i e f E d i t o r : Corinne Mallet D e s i g n a n d c r e a t i o n : Association Shamrock 2013 survival of this wonderful garden, L a y o u t : Corinne Mallet born out of a collection of worldwide The articles in this journal are published under their authors' responsibility. importance. H . K a w a k a m i i ‘ M A R T I N E ’ Activities of the Society and Other News AWARDS OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY (RHS) New members 2012 We ar e ver y h ap p y to w elc ome th e In the latest edition of their magazine “The Garden”, the RHS has undertaken a full review fo l lo win g n ew m e m ber s of its past awards of prizes to plants in the form of the famous label "AGM" (Award of Catherine BRUNNER Daniel BARRÉ Garden Merit). Stéphane BRUGÈRE-TRÉLAT Jean-Baptiste & Lisette CAVROIS The selection criteria are as follows: Jocelyne DELTEIL Jean DUFROY - Excellence for ordinary use in appropriate conditions (cultivar or selection that is Christophe & Catherine EMBERGER Charlie GIRARDEAU-PONSOT superior to others for its flowering, in number and duration, scent, colour, shape or other Arnaud GUILLLUY significant features). Craig & Eugenia HAMMIT - Market presence Jean-Claude & Marie-Angèle HANRIOT - Of good constitution (the plant must be recognized as being healthy by nature) Marianne JULIA-SMITH - Stable shapes and colours (it should correspond to its description) Pascal & Françoise LE BOURTHE Gérard LE SAUX - Reasonably resistant to disease and insect pests. Marc LIBERT Jean-Baptiste & Elisabeth RENARD 32 cultivars (only!) of the Hydrangea genus have kept their AGM label. RHS Members can Christine RENAUD consult the whole list free on www.rhs.org.uk /agmplants. Elvira & Meinhardt RÖDER Astrid VERSPIEREN THANKS for 2012 The Association thanks all members and non-members who have helped to make the past year another good one for the Shamrock Collection, including everybody who took part in preparation and visitor reception for our annual event “2000 hydrangeas for Shamrock” (2012 Edition), starting with Bérengère de Bodinat and Bruno Blanckaert for once again welcoming us to their home, “Casanova”, but also Patrick Gellet, Gilbert Baudoin, Jean-Marie Dauchez and Cécile Baudelaire. Thanks as well to all those who provided plants for this event: André Diéval, Kees Eveleens, Didier Boos, Lionel Chauvin, Henri Mercier, Etienne Lemesle (Tous au Jardin), Henri Guyomard (the “La Traverse” educational centre), Marion and Cédric Basset (Les Avettes nursery) Tribute to Robert de Bosmelet and, particularly, Jean Renault; also Michel Brunet who hel- All those of us who knew Robert will dee- ped with transport. Thank you to the “La Traverse” educa- tional centre and its students, who helped with the upkeep ply regret his passing - unexpected and of the collection. Several planting sessions took place much too soon. He was the very first pre- thanks to Jean-Pierre Péan, Pierre Courquin, Jean-Marie sident of Shamrock, and followed us Rouet and Christiane Le Scanff; the latter two members through thick and thin. We'll all greatly came every Tuesday all through the spring, summer and miss his humour, intelligence and culture. autumn for the thorough weeding of all the beds: a huge He was a great friend to our Association, task. The following members contributed in various capaci- and also showed me great personal kind- ties: Bernard Schumpp (publishing the Index, organizing ness on many occasions. the Symposium in Angers and our stand at Courson, naming Among many activities connected to his ceremony with Stéphane Marie, and visits to national and quintessentially Anglo-French personality, international exhibitions), Andre Diéval (rescuing endange- red plants and naming new ones), Hélène Béréhouc (propa- I particularly remember the time the BBC gating endangered plants), Josiane and Henri Lamache (tra- broadcast their radio programme vel arrangements and public relations), Isabelle and “Gardeners' Question Time” from the Michaël Potel (conservation), Roger Dinsdale (research and Château de Bosmelet. “GQT”, one of the writing articles), Sophie Le Berre (Japanese-French transla- oldest programmes on the BBC, has been tion), Pierre Le Claire (photo-journalism, article), Philippe broadcast since 1947; every week a panel Picherit (IT support), and Ghislaine Le Gall du Tertre (deli- of experts astonishes a live audience cious meals at the Piment Bleu). On several occasions the (usually a gardening club) with their erudi- following came to help us with logging, heavy-duty wee- tion. This was one of the only occasions ding and dead-heading, among other things: Andre Dieval, when this programme was broadcast from Galia and Raymond Guillaume, Henri and Josiane Lamache, Nicole Hagneré, Daniel Kuszak, Christiane and Jean-Marie outside the United Kingdom, and this time Rouet, Christiane Le Scanff and Jeanne Pavie. Many thanks, it included an interview with Robert in too, to our foreign correspondents: in the USA: Jean Astrop, which he presented the famous Rainbow Ozzie Johnson, and Lynden Miller; and in Europe: Maurice Kitchen Garden and his beloved avenue of Foster, Roger Dinsdale, Harry van Trier and Yan Oprins; as lime trees. well as media correspondents who have helped us: Isabelle All our sympathy goes to Laurence, Elodie Cadd (Stéphane Bern's programme on French national TV: and Gentien. He will remain forever with “Comment ça va bien”) Isabelle Lebrun (of the France-Bleue us in our hearts. radio station), Mariane Loison, Lorilee Mallet, Yves Bryan Woy Marchandain and Juliet Roberts. 2 The hydrangeas of James Murray Grant by Roger Dinsdale Born in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, in 1890, James Grant started his gardening career in 1905 and in 1912 he joined the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh (RBGE) as a gardener in trai- ning. He was in good company; his fellow students included Robert Keir, who became the Head Gardener in charge of the world famous collection of Rhododendrons at Tower Court, Ascot, now planted in the Valley Gardens in the Great Park at Windsor and Frank Knight (RHS Victoria Medal of Honour) who became the Director of the Royal Horticultural Society's garden at Wisley, Surrey.