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A white flowered seedling from S. 'Myriad' (itself a seedling from S. georgei) raised by Jim Almond in 2002. I bought it from Aberconwy Nursery, their label says: "Very attractive new hybrid from Jim Almond with lovely pure white flowers in Feb/March. Low dark green mat to about 10cm across. For well drained open soil in trough, scree or alpine house, light position out of direct sun." Robert Rolfe says in the Bulletin of the AGS: "Compare the large number of Porphyrion Saxifraga hybrids raised in recent times with the much smaller number that have gone on to perform well even ten years from the date of first flowering, and it is hard escape the conclusion that often they lack staying power. Either that or our collective skills when it comes to managing such plants have plummeted. Those with S. poluniniana or S. georgei in their parentage often scorch in hot summers, especially if kept under glass, and if shaded, are apt to draw uyp beyond recall. That said, there are some that continue to fulfill their early promise, and the results of a 1995 sowing of open pollinated S. 'Myriad' (= georgei x poluniniana), made by Jim Almond (Shrewsbury), remain exceptional, with two of the three seedlings named now raised to Award of Merit status." In 2012 John Fitzpatrick said in the Bulletin: "Saxifraga 'Coolock Gem' is one of the finest saxifrage selections of the past 20 years. It was raised by Jim Almond in the mid-1990's from a sowing of seed collected from Saxifraga 'Myriad'. Two seedlings in particular were selected as potential show plants and initially distributed as 'red form' and 'white form'. Mike Smith of Hythe Alpines nursery in Norfolk, which has since closed, asked if he could propagate them and requested that they should be given cultivar names. Jim chose Coolock, the name of the street in Shrewsbury where he lives, and the names of his daughters, Gemma, or Gem, for the white selection and Kate for the red. To ensure that the plants were grown to their full potential, some were given to Geoff Rollinson. Farrer medals, Certificates of Merit and other awards followed." |
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| 24th February 2019 | ||
