JEARRARD'S HERBAL
Thats enough introduction - on with the plants!
To navigate this site, use the links above, or the detailed links at the bottom of this page.
... out in the garden.
6th February 2007
Amorphophallus titanum .
On monday night the local news reported the flowering of Amorphophallus titanum at the Eden Project.
I missed the flowering at Kew in 2005 and so there was no way I was going to miss it. Tuesday had to be
re-arranged. I saw it about 18 hours after it opened, and already it was starting to fade, so I was glad I didn't delay.
Meantime, Eden was looking lovely, not too busy, and it took 20 mins in the Tropical Biome before my camera thawed
enough for the lense to clear. It was bitterly cold outside - I forget how cold it can get up north! That's twice this year I have rushed
out of here in my shirt sleeves, travelled north and cursed my stupidity when I got out of the car. I'm getting old and senile
(and I haven't even started about my bad back ...). The Amorphophallus speaks for itself really. I grow
A.konjac , A.bulbifer and I have some seedlings of A.kiusianus, all of which are really
displacement activity because I can't grow this one. Seed is now occasionally available, so that doesn't mean
I won't be trying!
6th February 2007
Alpinia zerumbet .
The gingers here are all sleeping soundly for the winter and I am suffering from slight withdrawal symptoms (feverish tendency to poke
at the rhizomes under the soil to see if they are still sound). This was in magnificent flower at Eden, towering 8 feet tall (I mean 2.4m really).
Really magnificent (I just wish that they bothered to label the plants properly).(I know, I'm a bit of an anorak, but really...the staff
are better labelled than the plants!)
11th February 2007
Lachenalia 'Romaud' .
Lachenalia is a massively undervalued genus, and in recognition of that some decades ago, South African breeders started to produce
new hybrids for the wholesale market. In 2002 they were given a large scale trial as spring bedding in UK garden centres ... where they fell flat on their faces.
A good commercial plant is a very different thing from a good plant. They are all beautiful, and mostly still available on a small scale.
They are also turning out to be vigorous and tolerant. I think that this one is 'Romaud', but I bought three bulbs in 2002, and they all
grew into different plants, so the identification is a bit tentative.
11th February 2007
Anthurium scherzerianum 'Rothschildianum' .
I grew this 25 years ago, when I still had acccess to a hot house. It isn't really beautiful, it is just astonishing! Thanks to the wonders of modern tissue culture
techniques it has become more easily available than it was then.(If, when I start pushing up daisies, it transpires than my soul has already
been sold, I suspect that it was the deal I struck back then to get it). This one cost me £2.50, with the only drawback that it is difficult to look butch
walking down the street clutching a shing red and white speckled codpiece and grinning like an idiot!
11th February 2007
Galanthus elwesii 'Two Spot' .
Even if I have to add an extra photo, I am going to visit the spring garden here for a moment! The snowdrops are being wonderful. I saw this funny little thing
(not very vigorous I'm afraid) in a pot of "Snowdrops" at a DIY Superstore a few years ago. It just makes me laugh.
11th February 2007
Hippeastrum 'Unique' .
Next time someone complains about the commercialisation of garden retailing or some other cobblers, gently point
out that we are living in the brightest golden age of horticulture that there has ever been.
This Hippeastrum could hardly be called beautiful, the double flowers are quite unnecessary,
but the great joy of Hippeastrum is that they do what they do with unfailing excess
and nonchalent disregard for economy or suggestions of belt-tightening. Just like the Anthurium
, this isn't beautiful, it is fabulous!
It opened this morning and how could I possibly leave it out?
To find particular groups of plants I grow, click on the genus name in the table above. Click on the "Index" box at the top of the page for the full list.
I have a lot of good intentions when it comes to updating this site, and I try to keep a note
about what is going on, if you are interested.
If you want to contact me, the address is infoMONKEYjohnjearrard.co.uk
When typing the address in, please replace MONKEY with the more traditional @ symbol! I apologise for the tiresome performance involved, but I am getting too much
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