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The distribution of Butchers Broom extends to the UK but is centered around the Mediteranean. It is tolerant of dry shade
and is usually planted in the darkest, least attractive corners where it is dull and dusty. Its prickly cladophylls attract gardeners with worthy intentions who delight in long educational dissertations about oddness. Fortunately there is the compact little tuffet of 'John Redmond' to cheer things up. It is less fortunate that a plant that produces berries so freely should be named after a man but as I say, Ruscus are odd. Rather than break with tradition, I hve planted it in a dull and dusty corner. It has survived but it deserves better. I bought it from Tale Valley Nursery. Their label says: "'Butchers Broom' with compact habit, free fruiting and self fertile. Many showy red berries borne on compact dark evergreen bushes. Ht 30cm. Good for dry shade." The history of the plant is recorded by Brendan Sayers for the Irish Garden Plant society: "Ruscus aculeatus is notable as having cladodes rather than leaves. The cladodes are a spine tipped, flattened section of stem and it is on these cladodes that the flowers appear. Although minute, the resulting fruit of the fertilised female flowers reveals their presence. Having escaped from gardens, it occurs in various placed across the island but has been present for more than two centuries in the Muckross area of Killarney, Co Kerry. It is more often used in gardens for its ability to survive in areas with low light levels or as a plant to deter man or animal. The species grows to a little more than half a metre tall but the cultivar of Irish origin is a more compact plant moving it from the category of "deterrent" to "sharp but worth it". As a hermaphrodite form of the species, Ruscus aculeatus 'John Redmond' reliably produces berries which are long lasting and bright red. In Newsletter No 111, January 2009, the late Ed Bowden corrected the entry for the cultivar's origin in 'A Heritage of Beauty' by telling the story of how John Redmond came across the cultivar in St. Joseph's Church, Berkeley Road in Dublin, its propagation and the application for Plant Breeders' Rights by Laddie de Jong of Marian Nurseries and wrote that the original plant could still be seen in the grounds of the church. I checked recently and it is still there. The Royal Horticultural Society was so impressed by its performance that they awarded it an AGM." |
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