Weird and wonderful exotic plants to grow in your garden
Posted 03-06-2018 at 11:49 PM by Nn2036
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardenin...ur-garden.html
Crûg Farm nursery in north Wales has become a byword for exotic plants, but which will thrive in British conditions? Owners Bleddyn and Sue Wynn-Jones share 12 of their favourites
Bleddyn and Sue Wynn-Jones at Crûg Farm, where they trial plants they have found on their trips around the world
Paths to success: Bleddyn and Sue Wynn-Jones at Crûg Farm, where they trial plants they have found on their trips around the world Photo: Andrea Jones
Stephen Lacey By Stephen Lacey7:00AM GMT 22 Mar 2014
Since 1991, when Bleddyn and Sue Wynn-Jones switched from farming to plant-hunting, their nursery, Crûg Farm Plants, on the north Wales coast has been one of the major conduits of new and untried plants into our gardens.
In fact, their adventures and seed-collections have been as exciting as in those glory days of the late-19th and early-20th century when, to bring back all those scrumptious magnolias, primulas and blue poppies, men such as George Forrest and Frank Kingdon-Ward risked their lives in the mountains and forests of China and Tibet.
In their annual journeys into Vietnam, Korea, Taiwan, the Philippines, Nepal, India and beyond, Bleddyn and Sue also take monsoons, earthquakes, flimsy rope bridges over precipitous ravines, and car brakes failing on steep mountain passes in their stride.
–– ADVERTISEMENT ––
They go for several months at a time, with Bleddyn sallying out on collecting-sorties, either alone with a local guide or with friends and fellow botanists, and Sue remaining at base camps, tackling the laborious job of cleaning and packaging all the seed.
Crûg Farm, meanwhile, has become a honeypot for adventurous gardeners eager to try something new, and sometimes something wacky, and to be at the cutting edge of horticulture. Regular clients range from Buckingham Palace and top designers, including Arabella Lennox-Boyd, to owners of ordinary gardens across Europe.
Related Articles
Garden design: how to create drama in your borders 03 Oct 2014
At home with the plant hunters 30 Apr 2011
Legendary plants 31 Jan 2013
Weird and wonderful plants and installations 27 May 2010
The exotic plants to try before you die 02 Jun 2013
Top 10 exotic plants 12 Jul 2011
With newer plants there is always some uncertainty about how they will perform. But now, through feedback from customers and the testing of plants outside at Crûg Farm (subjected in recent winters to 100mph gales and temperatures plunging below -15°C), a large body of knowledge has been amassed. I asked Bleddyn to survey his collections, and recommend 12 plants that have performed consistently well and that he is most proud of introducing.
TREE
1 Acer campbellii var. campbellii
Bleddyn recalls collecting seed from this medium-sized maple in the Himalayas at an altitude of 3,000m (10,000ft) with snow on the ground, and considers it one of the most stunning plants he has ever brought back. The palmate leaves, held on scarlet stalks, open a deep copper colour, mature to green, and turn orange in the autumn. Equally impressive is the striped bark, which is glaucous and purplish when young, maturing to a good snake-bark pattern. Given shelter from cold wind, it grows well in sun or light shade.
SHRUBS
2 Fatsia polycarpa
Introduced into cultivation by Crûg Farm from seed collected in Taiwan in 1996, I think this is a great addition to the cast of shrubs available for shady sites. It differs from the familiar Japanese false castor oil plant, F. japonica, in having leaves with more rounded and more deeply cut lobes, and its flowers, produced late in the year, are a more colourful, gingery-cream. It makes a striking foliage plant. Bleddyn considers it hardier than F. japonica, and in my own garden it has also taken very low temperatures without damage.
3 Illicium simonsii
Collected in Szechuan, China from a 3,000m (10,000ft) high moraine, this evergreen shrub is one Bleddyn describes as having “a tidy shape and all-year interest”. It makes an attractive pyramid of elliptical leaves that are highly aromatic, and its pale yellow starry flowers, produced in spring, are also scented. They are followed by seed heads “like star-anise – but poisonous”. It needs good light but also, unfortunately for many gardeners, an acidic soil.
4 Schefflera taiwaniana
For me, the scheffleras are the most exciting of the woody plants that the Wynn-Joneses have introduced into gardens. Distinctive and exotic, with fingered evergreen leaves held in an elegant umbrella-like poise, they naturally form slender trees but can also be pruned to grow as multi-stemmed shrubs. From among the different species, Bleddyn singles out S. taiwaniana for its reliability. In my own garden it has also sailed through harsh winters without the slightest damage. I have moved one of substantial size with no ill effect.
“It likes moisture, and in the wild often grows in standing water, but in gardens is best in well-drained, leafy soil,” says Bleddyn. “We collected it on the edge of high mountain forest in Taiwan in 1996, while earthquakes were going on. They are always having earthquakes in Taiwan.”
5 Pachysandra axillaris 'Crûg’s Cover'
I grabbed a pot of this low-growing ground cover shrub to take home the moment I smelled it. The white, pink-tinged bottlebrush flowers have a deliciously sophisticated scent, like wintersweet; they open above the broad, toothed leaves in winter and are followed by interesting reddish-pink fruits. It was collected in Szechuan in moist scrub, growing under hydrangeas, and Bleddyn says it has proved problem-free in shade in his garden – even dry shade – and spreads quite fast.
6 Pittosporum daphniphylloides
“I remember us having to dodge landslides while collecting this in Taiwan – boulders bigger than our car rolling through the forest and bouncing over the road.” This is a large evergreen shrub with textured, glossy and leathery leaves and clusters of scented, greenish-yellow flowers in early summer followed by capsules of red fruits. The more commonly grown Australasian pittosporums are often cut back or killed by hard frosts, and are usually treated as wall shrubs. Bleddyn says that this Asian pittosporum, though appreciating sun and shelter, is hardier. He even has young plants growing in an open field.
7 Viburnum arboricolum
“This is very hardy here in spite of its looks.” A large evergreen shrub with paddle-shaped leaves, this viburnum Bleddyn remembers collecting from a mountain forest in Taiwan in early morning mist. It produces a generous display of scented white flower panicles in summer, followed by red fruits “which the birds tend to leave until they have eaten everything else.”
CLIMBER
8 Holboellia brachyandra
“I remember a mother water buffalo getting very upset as we collected this on a woodland edge in Vietnam.” This evergreen climber has absolutely superb flowers in late spring – large white bells, tinged purple at the base, and scrumptiously scented “of cantaloupe melon”. However, it does need a degree of cosseting – notably, shelter, a good soil, some sun, and protection from hard frosts until it is mature. It would thrive in a cool greenhouse or porch.
PERENNIALS
9 Aralia cordata
(ALAMY)
“If you feed it, it can grow to 4m (13ft),” says Bleddyn of this impressive perennial, collected from woodland in Japan. With strong stems (usually to around 2m/6ft) and big leaves, it looks exotic but takes very low temperatures. Racemes of green globular flowers appear in late summer followed by purple berries.
10 Disporum nantauense
(ALAMY)
Collected in moist mountain forest in Taiwan, this is one of a number of members of the Solomon’s Seal family that has been introduced by the Wynn-Joneses at Crûg Farm. Clusters of scented creamy-yellow flowers, tinged reddish-brown at the mouth, appear on the ends of the 46cm (18in) stems in late spring and early summer, followed by black berries. Bleddyn says that it is not for very cold and wet gardens, but is otherwise easy; it has performed well in leafy shade in my own garden for years.
11 Polygonatum stenanthum
Bleddyn calls this “a sensational species, with the largest flowers among Solomon’s Seals”. Collected in a cold area of forest in Japan, it is easily grown in moist, decently drained, shady conditions. The flowers are white with striking green stripes. Impressively, the are produced on stems up to 2m (6ft) tall.
12 Roscoea purpurea ’Vannin’
A hardy member of the ginger family, this beautiful perennial in late summer produces large, white, orchid-like flowers with pale lilac shading from stout maroon-red stems. It is easily grown in well-drained, leafy soil, and does well in my garden in partial shade. Bleddyn vividly recalls collecting it from cliffs in a remote area of Nepal in 2002. “We were being pestered by Maoists, trying to extort money out of us 'for safe passage’. In the end we paid – they had guns.”
*All available from Crûg Farm Plants (01248 670232; crug-farm.co.uk)
Plants
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardenin...t-hunters.html
Stephen Lacey keeps up with the Wynn-Joneses, plant collectors planning a first foray to the Chelsea Flower Show
Long-distance foragers: Bleddyn and Sue Wynn-Jones visit countries such as Vietnam for specimens to add to their Crûg Farm collection
Image 1 of 3
Long-distance foragers: Bleddyn and Sue Wynn-Jones visit countries such as Vietnam for specimens to add to their Crûg Farm collection Photo: ANDREA JONES
By Stephen Lacey8:00AM BST 30 Apr 2011
It is a beautiful spring day at Crûg Farm, Bleddyn and Sue Wynn-Jones’s garden and nursery, wedged between Snowdonia and the tidal waters of the Menai Strait. From the lawn, I can see the white steam of the Snowdon train chugging up the mountain, and then in quick succession we are buzzed by three fighter jets from RAF Valley, and then by a helicopter; I can’t tell if it’s Prince William.
There are adrenaline surges in the polytunnels, too, as calm discussion of the preparations for the nursery’s first-ever appearance at Chelsea Flower Show is suddenly interrupted by the sight of a caterpillar hole munched through one of the specimen shrubs, and a herbaceous plant with a shoot scorched by the sun. Sue deals with any such problems instantly but calmly. Being more of a perfectionist, Bleddyn, she says, tends to panic. “We are not letting him anywhere near the Chelsea stand until it is finished. He’s a nightmare,” she laughs.
Having already garnered gold medals for two appearances by Crûg Farm Plants at Royal Horticultural Society shows in Vincent Square, Westminster, Sue was emboldened to go for gold at the Chelsea Flower Show over “a boozy dinner” with their helper Edward Elfes.
–– ADVERTISEMENT ––
“Bleddyn was appalled at the idea, saying we weren’t set up for it, but Edward was confident that we were. He is a professional flower arranger, trained by Constance Spry, and helped do the flowers for the Queen’s coronation. He came out of retirement to titivate our previous show stands for us, and he will do the same at Chelsea. This is an important year for us because it marks our 20th year plant-hunting. Chelsea will be our coming-of-age party.”
Plant-hunting – which has taken the Wynn-Joneses to the remotest regions of such countries as Vietnam, Korea, Taiwan, Nepal and the Philippines – is the backdrop to everything that goes on at Crûg Farm, and is what distinguishes its plant collections from all others in Britain. It will be the theme of its Chelsea stand, too.
Related Articles
An Italian plant fair near Pisa makes a great weekend break 18 Nov 2013
Bunny Guinness: A clear vision for the Chelsea 19 Apr 2011
Final touches to Chelsea water feature 14 Apr 2011
The sculptor and the landscape 29 Mar 2011
Chelsea gardener gets building lesson 04 Mar 2011
Tale of the unexpected 11 Feb 2011
Since converting from farming to adventurous commercial horticulture, in order to pursue their combined love of plants and travel, Bleddyn and Sue’s usual routine has been to go abroad for three months in the autumn. In preparation, Bleddyn will read up on the flora of the chosen country and compile a list of the plants he considers might be attractive and hardy enough to be worthy of introduction to gardens. They also make contact with the relevant universities or botanic institutes abroad and seek permits from various government bodies.
Sometimes they are accompanied by friends and fellow botanists, but often they travel alone. Either they go into the wilds together or, more usually, Sue sets up a base camp to which Bleddyn – whom she may not see for “days and days” – sends his seed collections by runner. Her job is then to clean, dry and package the seed, which is posted back in batches to the Crûg Farm staff, with sowing instructions from Bleddyn. Often the quantity of seed is very small, and germination may take anything from one to 10 years. “The surest way for a nursery customer here to annoy Bleddyn is to ask when he will be getting more plants in,” says Sue.
The spoils of their expeditions are on show in Crûg Farm’s walled garden, where the paths weave through plantings redolent of a lush Asian jungle, before leading you out into pockets of woodland and rockery. A tour through it all with Bleddyn is always a treat, but in the early years it was impossible to get my bearings in the sea of unfamiliar genera: Disporopsis, Oreopanax, Reineckia, Syneilesis… Now that I have grown some of them myself, I can sound like an intelligent student, at least intermittently.
From the large cast of shade-loving perennials, I have been attracted particularly by the various forms of Disporum (closely related to Solomon’s Seal, with cream, green and brown bells) and thalictrum (with feathery foliage and fluffy flower heads); as well as other oddities such as Beesia, Saruma and Chrysosplenium. All have been totally hardy and clumped up well for me, with my single plant of Chrysosplenium now covering a good 36 sq ft of ground.
From the shrub collections, I am growing Schefflera taiwaniana, an absolutely magnificent evergreen that came through this winter without turning a hair. So did the evergreen Daphniphyllum macropodum, and the climbers Clematis chiisanensis and Holboellia latifolia.
At Crûg, which plummeted to 10F (-12C) this winter, the most serious casualty seemed to be the large-leafed Schefflera macrophylla; of the few other shrubs badly hit, most looked as if they would regenerate. With the more borderline species, such as ferny-leaved Lomatia ferruginea, the key is often to find them a spot with good drainage, Bleddyn stresses to me.
From this visit, I left for home clutching a burgundy-leafing creeping perennial, Saxifraga stolonifera 'Kinki Purple’, and Lithophragma parviflorum, which looks like a miniature Jacob’s Ladder but with white bells in spring.
Crûg Farm’s Chelsea stand will similarly be an evocation of Asian woodland, with an understorey of perennials around a pool of water and, says Sue, “climbing hydrangea grown as ground cover as you see it in the wild”. All the plants will be from the Wynn-Joneses’ own wild collections, and the plant-hunting theme will be reinforced by the inclusion of pressed botanical specimens that they make abroad and a rustic backpack as used by their porters to transport the seeds down the mountains.
“Bleddyn is never happier than when he is off looking for new and interesting plants,” adds Sue. “In fact, if he had his way, he would be out there all year. But he loves talking about his plants too, and when the stand is finished and the show opens, I know he will enjoy himself.” From his expression, Bleddyn remains sceptical.
For mail order, visit www.crug-farm.co.uk
Crûg Farm nursery in north Wales has become a byword for exotic plants, but which will thrive in British conditions? Owners Bleddyn and Sue Wynn-Jones share 12 of their favourites
Bleddyn and Sue Wynn-Jones at Crûg Farm, where they trial plants they have found on their trips around the world
Paths to success: Bleddyn and Sue Wynn-Jones at Crûg Farm, where they trial plants they have found on their trips around the world Photo: Andrea Jones
Stephen Lacey By Stephen Lacey7:00AM GMT 22 Mar 2014
Since 1991, when Bleddyn and Sue Wynn-Jones switched from farming to plant-hunting, their nursery, Crûg Farm Plants, on the north Wales coast has been one of the major conduits of new and untried plants into our gardens.
In fact, their adventures and seed-collections have been as exciting as in those glory days of the late-19th and early-20th century when, to bring back all those scrumptious magnolias, primulas and blue poppies, men such as George Forrest and Frank Kingdon-Ward risked their lives in the mountains and forests of China and Tibet.
In their annual journeys into Vietnam, Korea, Taiwan, the Philippines, Nepal, India and beyond, Bleddyn and Sue also take monsoons, earthquakes, flimsy rope bridges over precipitous ravines, and car brakes failing on steep mountain passes in their stride.
–– ADVERTISEMENT ––
They go for several months at a time, with Bleddyn sallying out on collecting-sorties, either alone with a local guide or with friends and fellow botanists, and Sue remaining at base camps, tackling the laborious job of cleaning and packaging all the seed.
Crûg Farm, meanwhile, has become a honeypot for adventurous gardeners eager to try something new, and sometimes something wacky, and to be at the cutting edge of horticulture. Regular clients range from Buckingham Palace and top designers, including Arabella Lennox-Boyd, to owners of ordinary gardens across Europe.
Related Articles
Garden design: how to create drama in your borders 03 Oct 2014
At home with the plant hunters 30 Apr 2011
Legendary plants 31 Jan 2013
Weird and wonderful plants and installations 27 May 2010
The exotic plants to try before you die 02 Jun 2013
Top 10 exotic plants 12 Jul 2011
With newer plants there is always some uncertainty about how they will perform. But now, through feedback from customers and the testing of plants outside at Crûg Farm (subjected in recent winters to 100mph gales and temperatures plunging below -15°C), a large body of knowledge has been amassed. I asked Bleddyn to survey his collections, and recommend 12 plants that have performed consistently well and that he is most proud of introducing.
TREE
1 Acer campbellii var. campbellii
Bleddyn recalls collecting seed from this medium-sized maple in the Himalayas at an altitude of 3,000m (10,000ft) with snow on the ground, and considers it one of the most stunning plants he has ever brought back. The palmate leaves, held on scarlet stalks, open a deep copper colour, mature to green, and turn orange in the autumn. Equally impressive is the striped bark, which is glaucous and purplish when young, maturing to a good snake-bark pattern. Given shelter from cold wind, it grows well in sun or light shade.
SHRUBS
2 Fatsia polycarpa
Introduced into cultivation by Crûg Farm from seed collected in Taiwan in 1996, I think this is a great addition to the cast of shrubs available for shady sites. It differs from the familiar Japanese false castor oil plant, F. japonica, in having leaves with more rounded and more deeply cut lobes, and its flowers, produced late in the year, are a more colourful, gingery-cream. It makes a striking foliage plant. Bleddyn considers it hardier than F. japonica, and in my own garden it has also taken very low temperatures without damage.
3 Illicium simonsii
Collected in Szechuan, China from a 3,000m (10,000ft) high moraine, this evergreen shrub is one Bleddyn describes as having “a tidy shape and all-year interest”. It makes an attractive pyramid of elliptical leaves that are highly aromatic, and its pale yellow starry flowers, produced in spring, are also scented. They are followed by seed heads “like star-anise – but poisonous”. It needs good light but also, unfortunately for many gardeners, an acidic soil.
4 Schefflera taiwaniana
For me, the scheffleras are the most exciting of the woody plants that the Wynn-Joneses have introduced into gardens. Distinctive and exotic, with fingered evergreen leaves held in an elegant umbrella-like poise, they naturally form slender trees but can also be pruned to grow as multi-stemmed shrubs. From among the different species, Bleddyn singles out S. taiwaniana for its reliability. In my own garden it has also sailed through harsh winters without the slightest damage. I have moved one of substantial size with no ill effect.
“It likes moisture, and in the wild often grows in standing water, but in gardens is best in well-drained, leafy soil,” says Bleddyn. “We collected it on the edge of high mountain forest in Taiwan in 1996, while earthquakes were going on. They are always having earthquakes in Taiwan.”
5 Pachysandra axillaris 'Crûg’s Cover'
I grabbed a pot of this low-growing ground cover shrub to take home the moment I smelled it. The white, pink-tinged bottlebrush flowers have a deliciously sophisticated scent, like wintersweet; they open above the broad, toothed leaves in winter and are followed by interesting reddish-pink fruits. It was collected in Szechuan in moist scrub, growing under hydrangeas, and Bleddyn says it has proved problem-free in shade in his garden – even dry shade – and spreads quite fast.
6 Pittosporum daphniphylloides
“I remember us having to dodge landslides while collecting this in Taiwan – boulders bigger than our car rolling through the forest and bouncing over the road.” This is a large evergreen shrub with textured, glossy and leathery leaves and clusters of scented, greenish-yellow flowers in early summer followed by capsules of red fruits. The more commonly grown Australasian pittosporums are often cut back or killed by hard frosts, and are usually treated as wall shrubs. Bleddyn says that this Asian pittosporum, though appreciating sun and shelter, is hardier. He even has young plants growing in an open field.
7 Viburnum arboricolum
“This is very hardy here in spite of its looks.” A large evergreen shrub with paddle-shaped leaves, this viburnum Bleddyn remembers collecting from a mountain forest in Taiwan in early morning mist. It produces a generous display of scented white flower panicles in summer, followed by red fruits “which the birds tend to leave until they have eaten everything else.”
CLIMBER
8 Holboellia brachyandra
“I remember a mother water buffalo getting very upset as we collected this on a woodland edge in Vietnam.” This evergreen climber has absolutely superb flowers in late spring – large white bells, tinged purple at the base, and scrumptiously scented “of cantaloupe melon”. However, it does need a degree of cosseting – notably, shelter, a good soil, some sun, and protection from hard frosts until it is mature. It would thrive in a cool greenhouse or porch.
PERENNIALS
9 Aralia cordata
(ALAMY)
“If you feed it, it can grow to 4m (13ft),” says Bleddyn of this impressive perennial, collected from woodland in Japan. With strong stems (usually to around 2m/6ft) and big leaves, it looks exotic but takes very low temperatures. Racemes of green globular flowers appear in late summer followed by purple berries.
10 Disporum nantauense
(ALAMY)
Collected in moist mountain forest in Taiwan, this is one of a number of members of the Solomon’s Seal family that has been introduced by the Wynn-Joneses at Crûg Farm. Clusters of scented creamy-yellow flowers, tinged reddish-brown at the mouth, appear on the ends of the 46cm (18in) stems in late spring and early summer, followed by black berries. Bleddyn says that it is not for very cold and wet gardens, but is otherwise easy; it has performed well in leafy shade in my own garden for years.
11 Polygonatum stenanthum
Bleddyn calls this “a sensational species, with the largest flowers among Solomon’s Seals”. Collected in a cold area of forest in Japan, it is easily grown in moist, decently drained, shady conditions. The flowers are white with striking green stripes. Impressively, the are produced on stems up to 2m (6ft) tall.
12 Roscoea purpurea ’Vannin’
A hardy member of the ginger family, this beautiful perennial in late summer produces large, white, orchid-like flowers with pale lilac shading from stout maroon-red stems. It is easily grown in well-drained, leafy soil, and does well in my garden in partial shade. Bleddyn vividly recalls collecting it from cliffs in a remote area of Nepal in 2002. “We were being pestered by Maoists, trying to extort money out of us 'for safe passage’. In the end we paid – they had guns.”
*All available from Crûg Farm Plants (01248 670232; crug-farm.co.uk)
Plants
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardenin...t-hunters.html
Stephen Lacey keeps up with the Wynn-Joneses, plant collectors planning a first foray to the Chelsea Flower Show
Long-distance foragers: Bleddyn and Sue Wynn-Jones visit countries such as Vietnam for specimens to add to their Crûg Farm collection
Image 1 of 3
Long-distance foragers: Bleddyn and Sue Wynn-Jones visit countries such as Vietnam for specimens to add to their Crûg Farm collection Photo: ANDREA JONES
By Stephen Lacey8:00AM BST 30 Apr 2011
It is a beautiful spring day at Crûg Farm, Bleddyn and Sue Wynn-Jones’s garden and nursery, wedged between Snowdonia and the tidal waters of the Menai Strait. From the lawn, I can see the white steam of the Snowdon train chugging up the mountain, and then in quick succession we are buzzed by three fighter jets from RAF Valley, and then by a helicopter; I can’t tell if it’s Prince William.
There are adrenaline surges in the polytunnels, too, as calm discussion of the preparations for the nursery’s first-ever appearance at Chelsea Flower Show is suddenly interrupted by the sight of a caterpillar hole munched through one of the specimen shrubs, and a herbaceous plant with a shoot scorched by the sun. Sue deals with any such problems instantly but calmly. Being more of a perfectionist, Bleddyn, she says, tends to panic. “We are not letting him anywhere near the Chelsea stand until it is finished. He’s a nightmare,” she laughs.
Having already garnered gold medals for two appearances by Crûg Farm Plants at Royal Horticultural Society shows in Vincent Square, Westminster, Sue was emboldened to go for gold at the Chelsea Flower Show over “a boozy dinner” with their helper Edward Elfes.
–– ADVERTISEMENT ––
“Bleddyn was appalled at the idea, saying we weren’t set up for it, but Edward was confident that we were. He is a professional flower arranger, trained by Constance Spry, and helped do the flowers for the Queen’s coronation. He came out of retirement to titivate our previous show stands for us, and he will do the same at Chelsea. This is an important year for us because it marks our 20th year plant-hunting. Chelsea will be our coming-of-age party.”
Plant-hunting – which has taken the Wynn-Joneses to the remotest regions of such countries as Vietnam, Korea, Taiwan, Nepal and the Philippines – is the backdrop to everything that goes on at Crûg Farm, and is what distinguishes its plant collections from all others in Britain. It will be the theme of its Chelsea stand, too.
Related Articles
An Italian plant fair near Pisa makes a great weekend break 18 Nov 2013
Bunny Guinness: A clear vision for the Chelsea 19 Apr 2011
Final touches to Chelsea water feature 14 Apr 2011
The sculptor and the landscape 29 Mar 2011
Chelsea gardener gets building lesson 04 Mar 2011
Tale of the unexpected 11 Feb 2011
Since converting from farming to adventurous commercial horticulture, in order to pursue their combined love of plants and travel, Bleddyn and Sue’s usual routine has been to go abroad for three months in the autumn. In preparation, Bleddyn will read up on the flora of the chosen country and compile a list of the plants he considers might be attractive and hardy enough to be worthy of introduction to gardens. They also make contact with the relevant universities or botanic institutes abroad and seek permits from various government bodies.
Sometimes they are accompanied by friends and fellow botanists, but often they travel alone. Either they go into the wilds together or, more usually, Sue sets up a base camp to which Bleddyn – whom she may not see for “days and days” – sends his seed collections by runner. Her job is then to clean, dry and package the seed, which is posted back in batches to the Crûg Farm staff, with sowing instructions from Bleddyn. Often the quantity of seed is very small, and germination may take anything from one to 10 years. “The surest way for a nursery customer here to annoy Bleddyn is to ask when he will be getting more plants in,” says Sue.
The spoils of their expeditions are on show in Crûg Farm’s walled garden, where the paths weave through plantings redolent of a lush Asian jungle, before leading you out into pockets of woodland and rockery. A tour through it all with Bleddyn is always a treat, but in the early years it was impossible to get my bearings in the sea of unfamiliar genera: Disporopsis, Oreopanax, Reineckia, Syneilesis… Now that I have grown some of them myself, I can sound like an intelligent student, at least intermittently.
From the large cast of shade-loving perennials, I have been attracted particularly by the various forms of Disporum (closely related to Solomon’s Seal, with cream, green and brown bells) and thalictrum (with feathery foliage and fluffy flower heads); as well as other oddities such as Beesia, Saruma and Chrysosplenium. All have been totally hardy and clumped up well for me, with my single plant of Chrysosplenium now covering a good 36 sq ft of ground.
From the shrub collections, I am growing Schefflera taiwaniana, an absolutely magnificent evergreen that came through this winter without turning a hair. So did the evergreen Daphniphyllum macropodum, and the climbers Clematis chiisanensis and Holboellia latifolia.
At Crûg, which plummeted to 10F (-12C) this winter, the most serious casualty seemed to be the large-leafed Schefflera macrophylla; of the few other shrubs badly hit, most looked as if they would regenerate. With the more borderline species, such as ferny-leaved Lomatia ferruginea, the key is often to find them a spot with good drainage, Bleddyn stresses to me.
From this visit, I left for home clutching a burgundy-leafing creeping perennial, Saxifraga stolonifera 'Kinki Purple’, and Lithophragma parviflorum, which looks like a miniature Jacob’s Ladder but with white bells in spring.
Crûg Farm’s Chelsea stand will similarly be an evocation of Asian woodland, with an understorey of perennials around a pool of water and, says Sue, “climbing hydrangea grown as ground cover as you see it in the wild”. All the plants will be from the Wynn-Joneses’ own wild collections, and the plant-hunting theme will be reinforced by the inclusion of pressed botanical specimens that they make abroad and a rustic backpack as used by their porters to transport the seeds down the mountains.
“Bleddyn is never happier than when he is off looking for new and interesting plants,” adds Sue. “In fact, if he had his way, he would be out there all year. But he loves talking about his plants too, and when the stand is finished and the show opens, I know he will enjoy himself.” From his expression, Bleddyn remains sceptical.
For mail order, visit www.crug-farm.co.uk
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