Notes from Vico Morcote
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Notes from Vico Morcote by Sir Peter Smithers Ken Durio to whom I owe many kindnesses and much scion material. The location of our 1986 meeting I confided in Dr. Frank Mossman, in Mobile meant that I would be but that made matters no better able both to attend the meeting and when he gave me the interesting to see my Magnolias in bloom information that a cough can infect afterwards. I seized the golden at a distance of 35 feet. What if I opportunity to meet the great men bmught the meeting down with 'flu, of the Magnolia world, so many of dispersing it throughout the them known only by conespondence. Magnolia world like some exploding As icing on the cake, there would be chemical weapon? What fate would the Tom Dodd Greshams in bloom. befaB the Society member who Some years ago I had arranged to infected our President? At the risk visit Semmes to see these and the of being thought unsociable I decided Gloster Arboretum plants at to keep as far away from everybody flowering time, but I was telephoned as possible until the dinner. I a couple of days before the date of managed to get through the dinner, the visit advising cancellation. All to croak out a speech, and then took the flowers had been frosted. It the next plane home and to bed seemed unlikely that this would where I remained for quite a time. happen again. Bill Dodd very kindly met me at And there, outside my windows, the Airport. Somehow, I knew it were the buds of the Magnolias in before he opened his mouth: the their thousands, beginning to open Magnolias had all been frosted once in the benign climate of the Ticino. again. It was against all probability, I thought of the Dodds, and Gloster even against the law of averages, but and the Nursery at Opelousas, and it was true. I thought of the benign felt truly sony for them, felt almost climate in which my Magnolias grew guilty at my own good fortune. on Lake Lugano: never a frosted It had been a quite exceptionally bloom in 15 years. I pitied those dry autumn in 1985, and whether or unfortunates who grow Magnolias in not for this reason, several inhospitable climates such as campbellii type Magnolias which had Alabama. For a moment I toyed flowered freely for some years, were with the idea of suggesting that the without a bloom bud. But the Dodd Nurseries move to Lugano, but remainder were very well budded and decided against the jest. It was a splendid show was beginning. probably not a subject for humour. Magnolia 'Forrest's Pink' was That night my suspicion that the covered head-to-foot, and a number nagging cold symptoms which had of plants were to flower for the first annoyed me for a couple of days, time. There was, however, a were really the 'flu, were confirmed. tendency for all to open at once, and This was worse than the frost. I had within a few days stelkrtas, what promised to speak at the dinner and remain of the Soulangianas, and to show a few pictures, so retreat many Greshams and Pickards were wss impossible. Besides, I had hoped all in flower together. They were just to make the personal acquaintance of reaching peak bloom when our so many prominent Magnolia weather forecast, to my specialists, above all of President astonishment, warned of a night frost. Our climate is so local that expectations for 'Star Wars. ' Also forecasting is diificult and I went to the flower buds last autumn were bed happily contemptuous of the quite small and unimpressive. "A lot warning. Next morning I awoke to a of little purple blooms, " I thought to garden covered with snow and two myself. But as flowering approached degrees of frost. The snow clouds the buds enlarged to a prodigious soon dispersed and a bright sun with size, then shed the perules and a drying north wind beat down upon remained for a considerable time as the flowers. Then the weather tightly furled petals of a good bright clouded again and rain began. It campbellii pink. Then they burst turned to hail, which though not at into enormous blooms, opening in all heavy and lasting for only a few long succession. The young tree, now minutes, was enough to finish off 15 feet high, is a beautiful regular what remained of the flowers. I shape, rather densely branched and thought of the Dodds and Gloster promises an excellent habit. Os and the Durio Nursery, and realized Blumhardt has thus managed to that somehow I felt much happier transmit from liliflora the instant- than before. blooming characteristic while From every misfortune in the preserving the nice colour and strong garden there emerges some benefit. growth of campbellii. ' The extremely good resistance of 'Star Wars, which received its Magnolia x soulangiana 'Burgundy' name from the film of that name to bad weather is confirmed. Though and not from the projected defence close inspection of the blooms weapons, obviously invites showed the damage, this was the comparison with Jury's M. 'Iolanthe. ' only tree which from a little distance The colour is that of a pink looked pretty good after the storm. campbellii though still not up to the The benefits of late flowering also very best of that species. The whole were confirmed again. The late appearance of the flower is quite bloomers suffered much less damage. difFerent from that of 'Iolanthe, ' the In the selection of Magnolias for petals giving a more pointed effect planting in the garden, lateness of than the rounded petals of the latter. bloom is certainly an important Flowering was at three years from advantage. planting as a small graft against There were several exciting events, 'Iolanthe's' two, but when 'Star weather notwithstanding. Magnolia Wars' began it did so with a bang! ' 'Star Wars, received as a small graft The tree gives a more green and from Os Blumhardt in July 1982, 'twiggy' impression than 'Iolanthe' at grew with the greatest vigour and in this stage, and Os states that it the autumn of 1985 formed 20 or so roots very easily from summer flower buds. This plant is M. Iilifiora cuttings. 'Iolanthe' is only 50 percent x campbellii, selected, and then campbellii, whereas 'Star Wars' is 75 crossed back again to campbellii. It percent. This may indicate that it is thus 75 percent campbellii. The will be less hardy in cultivation than campbellii clone was that distributed the former plant. However, such by the Duncan & Davies nursery in deductions are unreliable, and it will New Zealand, the origin of which is be best to await wider planting not known. The liliflora clone was before jumping to conclusions. the relatively early flowering bright Flowering at the same time as purple which is in commerce there. I 'Star Wars' was 'Galaxy, ' which is am not an enthusiastic admirer of liliflora x sprengeri 'Diva. ' The liliflora as a parent: what we want flower of 'Star Wars' is a whole are clear campbellii pinks. order of magnitude superior to that ' I was not therefore full of of 'Galaxy, but then 'Galaxy' is probably much hardier. The parent rank as an 'instant bloomer. ' This tree of 'Star Wars' in the Blumhardt year it put on a full display, an nursery has not had full scope to impressive head of tall flowers develop, but Os states that it is now almost identical in colour to those of 25 feet high at about ten years from the Gresham 'Royal Crown' growing seed. My grafted plant looks as nearby. As compared with 'Royal ' though it would be very much more Crown, the strong influence of Af. than that ten years from grafting. li/i/fora that is noticeable in the All in all, this is clearly a very latter, both in its growth (a tendency exciting Magnolia well worth taking to triple forks) and in its flowers a gamble on, even if its full (pointed petals), is much less capabilities and possible failings are pronounced. As the trees now stand, not yet clear. my preference goes to Another Magnolia to demonstrate 'Schmetterling. ' But unless its ' its quality this year was 'Serene, reluctance to flower young can be received from Os Blumhardt in 1980. disproved by experience elsewhere, I It is lili/lore x 'Mark Jury, ' the latter am hesitant to recommend it except being the Jury's sorgentiona robusto for large and patient Magnolia x campbe/lii cross, growing here but collections. still unilowered. 'Serene' has grown To return to the mystery of the into a tall, rather sparse upright fruiting of M. x 'Wieseneri' in this small tree and flowered in 1984 and garden, one seedling of healthy but 1985. It has inherited the lateness of modest growth still closely resembles lili/Iora and also a rather purplish the parent plant. The others none-too-exciting colour. It aroused continue to grow with great vigour, no enthusiam in me on first far exceeding anything seen by me ' blooming. This year, however, it put on M. x 'Wieseneri. The shape and on its flrst display, with a lot of undersurface of the leaves resemble flowers. The colour remains M. hypo/euco but are not identical unconvincing, but the carriage and and they vary slightly from plant to shape of the medium-sized flowers plant. Mrs. Polly Hill kindly sent me give the tree a very distinctive some photographs of her M. ' appearance which could not be 'Wieseneri, which has seeded confused with any other Magnolia: it regularly.