Patagonian Plants We Grow in Britain Keith and Lorna Ferguson
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© Keith Ferguson © Keith Ferguson Patagonian plants we grow in Britain Keith and Lorna Ferguson Fig. 1 The Patagonian Lake District – Chile is generally milder than the UK, so some plants are not fully hardy here. surprising number of Many of these plants tend seed of the Monkey Puzzle Aplants that we grow in to thrive better in acid soils, (Araucaria araucana) (fig. 3) our gardens have originated in but equally there are many and, having done that, to Chile and the adjacent part of others which are quite send other garden-worthy Argentina in the region known happy on neutral clay. plants; these included as Patagonia, especially the The early garden plant many well known shrubs area within Patagonia known introductions were from including Berberis darwinii as the Lake District (figs 1 & 2). the collections made by and some prized herbaceous William Lobb, who in the plants such as Tropaeolum 1840s collected plants for speciosum. Other collectors, The climate in Chile is not the famous nursery Veitch & including Comber in the dissimilar to our own, with Co. His original instructions 1920s, added to what we rains blowing in from the were first to send back grow. Pacific Ocean eastward, but it is generally a little milder so that some Patagonian plants are tender, or need shelter, and can be © Keith Ferguson regarded as not fully hardy throughout the British Isles. The climate of adjacent Argentina is rather drier as it’s in the rain shadow of the Andes, but plants from this region are still remarkably resilient in our wet winters. Fig. 2 The Argentine climate is drier, but plants seem to cope with our wetter winters. 25 common shrub in cultivation in Britain. Not so frequently encountered growing in Britain is the elegant © Keith Ferguson © Keith Ferguson evergreen B. valdiviana (fig. 4) with long pendulous racemes of orange flowers in April, looking rather finer in gardens than when seen on the Andean slopes of Argentina. Fig. 3 Monkey Puzzle trees, Araucaria araucana, with Chusquea culeou. A number of other species are less commonly grown, as well Today much of the interest as the rather untidy hybrid B. of British gardeners is in the x stenophylla, not infrequently remarkable flora of the high cultivated in our gardens, Andes, for example, the © Keith Ferguson © Keith Ferguson which also is derived from rosulate violets. Patagonian species. Shrubs Fuchsia magellanica with Many of the plants we its many cultivars is perhaps grow are woody and are the most widely recognised in the understorey or marginal Britain as being a Patagonian species of a once forested shrub. Most of the many Fig. 4 Berberis valdiviana. region. The majority are species, hybrids and cultivars evergreen, slightly tender, of Escallonia that we grow, and in the UK more suited to especially in coastal gardens, gardens in the south and west are hybrids derived from E. or in towns. There are few rosea and E. rubra as parents. native conifers, all of them E. rubra var. macrantha with © Keith Ferguson © Keith Ferguson in the “Threatened Plants” its large leaves is found in list for Chile, while most of seaside gardens of the south the present forested areas and west where it withstands are plantations of introduced salt spray. E. ‘Iveyi’, a rather eucalyptus or Northern complex hybrid of Chilean Hemisphere conifers. Some of species, is not uncommon the native conifers which are in many inland gardens and Fig. 5 Escallonia ‘Slieve Donard’. also found in Argentina, with boasts an AGM. The ‘Donard’ a much lower population series of Escallonia (fig. 5) density, are under much bred in the famous North less threat; they include of Ireland Slieve Donard Araucaria, Fitzroya and nursery have their origins in © Keith Ferguson © Keith Ferguson Austrocedrus. The Argentinian E.‘Langleyensis’ (E. rubra x forests, however, do not seem E. virgata). as rich in species as those of One of the striking Chile. beauties is Crinodendron Patagonia is one of the hookerianum, the Chilean centres of evolution of the Lantern Tree (fig. 6), with genus Berberis and the well its large pink lantern-shaped Fig. 6 Crinodendron hookerianum, known evergreen B. darwinii, flowers. It benefits from the Chilean Lantern Tree. introduced by Lobb, is a the protection of a wall or 26 fence and prefers a soil on (its variegated form is the acid side of neutral. Big probably not so hardy); it specimens in the wild seen adds winter interest when in Chilean National Parks trained against a wall. It are unforgettable. Another has withstood unscathed © Keith Ferguson delightful shrub is Abutilon the recent cold winters in a vitifolium (Corynabutilon); number of West Midlands blue- and white-flowered gardens. A. lanceolata is forms occur in the wild an elegant, medium-sized and A. vitifolium ‘Tennant’s shrub with narrow leaves White’ with 3-inch flowers and branches pendulous in Fig. 7 Abutilon x suntense. is both desirable and easily flower. raised from cuttings. As There are two notable abutilons are short lived we members of the Potato usually take replacements Family. First Fabiana after 4–5 years. A. x suntense imbricata (fig. 9) with white (fig. 7), of which there are tubular flowers in its wild © Keith Ferguson some fine selections, is a form makes a shrub to 6ft hybrid between A. vitifolium and has many twigs with and the now rare and closely adpressed, pointed threatened Abutilon (syn. leaves reminiscent of a tree Corynabutilon) ochsenii, heath. It is said to occur which was introduced into north in the Andes to Bolivia Fig. 8 Azara serrata. cultivation in Britain only in but we have come across it 1957. A. x suntense is easily only in both Chilean and raised from seed and a rapid Argentinian Patagonia. There grower. Frequently found is a lovely form, f. violacea growing with abutilons in (fig. 10), which thrives shrubby thickets is the well in south-west gardens. © Keith Ferguson known Buddleja globosa, one Secondly, from central of the few species in the Patagonia, Vestia foetida has genus occurring in South pleasing primrose-yellow America. The genus Azara is tubular flowers in April– a Patagonian plant of which May; it is a rapid grower and A. serrata (fig 8) is perhaps will gently seed about. As its best known for its clusters of name implies, when handled Fig. 9 Fabiana imbricata. richly fragrant flowers with the foliage is foul smelling. bunches of yellow stamens, Desfontainea spinosa much loved by bees. It can (fig. 11) grows to about 10ft grow to 20ft or more in a but is much bigger in the relatively short time but its warmer parts of the South © Keith Ferguson drawback is being a vigorous West and western Scotland; surface-rooter, making it has holly-like leaves and underplanting less easy. A. from July until late autumn microphylla, with tiny leaves it produces funnel-shaped, and small fragrant flowers, scarlet solitary flowers with can make a large shrub or yellow lobes. Like many small tree especially in the Andean plants it occurs Fig. 10 Fabiana imbricata f. west of the country from the Magellan Straits violacea. 27 spring it is a lovely find in soil. Given these conditions it the wild, with its delightful is said to be hardy throughout fragrance, on drier soils in most of the British Isles and is sunny habitats in areas of eyecatching in Logan Botanic © Keith Ferguson © Keith Ferguson Argentina adjacent to the Chile Garden. Gaultheria (Pernettya) border where the bees seemed is represented by a range of to rather resent photography. species and cultivars in UK Rhaphithamnus spinosus, gardens, mainly G. mucronata somewhat spiny as its name and G. myrsinoides grown for implies, makes a shrub to their berries which last over the 20ft in ideal conditions. winter. Plants with variously Fig. 11 Desfontainea spinosa. It has pale blue, tubular coloured berries are commonly flowers in April followed by encountered in the southern striking blue fruit. Grown spring on Andean slopes. in Gloucestershire as a There are a number of small free-standing shrub species not infrequently © Keith Ferguson © Keith Ferguson for a number of years, it encountered in the wild succumbed to the recent which until relatively recently wet cold winters and is were placed in the genus probably better suited to wall Myrtus, but they have now protection. Drimys winteri been segregated into separate (fig. 12), seen in abundance genera. They are usually in the coastal ranges of Chile aromatic evergreen shrubs or Fig. 12 Drimys winteri. ascending to the Parque small trees with white flowers Nahuelbuta as a 15 to 20ft having numerous stamens, tree, is quite variable. We and they’re hardy in western have seen it thriving as a and town gardens. Luma free-standing small tree or apiculata (page 2) makes a © Keith Ferguson © Keith Ferguson basal-branching shrub in fine tree or multi-stemmed southern and western gardens; shrub in milder areas, and it flowers in April with has a lovely cinnamon- umbels of fragrant ivory-white coloured bark that peels most flowers and well established attractively to reveal white specimens are proving hardier patches. L. chequen is similar than supposed in inland but found in wetter places Fig. 13 Embothrium coccineum, gardens. Philesia magellanica, in its native habitat; it is the the Chilean Fire Bush. allied to the glorious but hardiest “myrtle” but lacks the to Colombia, but the plants tender Lapageria and unusual handsome bark. Both Luma in cultivation are from climber Luzuriaga radicans, species flower in autumn. Chile where we have seen it in ideal conditions makes Ugni molinae flowers in May frequently as an understorey a small suckering shrub or and is used as hedges in the shrub.