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I had a whimsical idea that I might like a pink flowered Schizophragma to bring a rosy, hygrangeous glow to some quiet corner of the garden.
I bought this one from Cross Common Nursery not thinking for a moment that the slugs would enjoy it long before I got a chance to.
I put it into a large pot in the Hedychium house with the intention of growing it on for a year before planting it out.
The slugs discovered it, the plant got smaller by the day and nothing remained by the end of the first winter.
I had been warned that slugs liked it, I just hadn't understood the significance of the warning. Writing in the Journal of the Royal Horticultural Society in 2006, Roy Lancaster says: "The range f climbers for summer display is enormous, but I have no hesitation including hardy Schizophragma hydrangeoides 'Roseum'. I have seen Schizophragma hydrangeoides climbing trees in Japanese forests and its delicate lacecap flowerheads are a joy, while the long-stalked, rounded, coarsely toothed leaves turn a pleasant yellow in autumn. It climbs via aerial roots that attach the stems to a wall and only needs support until it is established. The creamy-white marginal flowers of the species are pretty enough but the rose-tinted flowers of 'Roseum' are better still. Though slow to establish, it is suitable for most aspects including shade, however it flowers best on a sunny wall." Trees and Shrubs online says: "Inflorescence bracts tinged with rose. A.M. 1939 when exhibited by Messrs Hillier, who raised it." |
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| 28th June 2014 | ||