Scottish Exotica
Colin McLeod enjoys House & Garden, and moves
both.
Colin MacLeod, 68 The Ness, Dollar, Clacks, Scotland FK14 7EB
Chamaerops No. 2, published online 23-11-2002
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Being the hedonist that I am, I was most disappointed
to receive the news of the P.Q's demise, a magazine that gave me
great pleasure. However, 'Chamaerops' is proving ample compensation,
and I wish it continued success.
In spring of last year I changed residence, to a
house with a larger garden, enabling me to indulge in a wider range
of exotic plant material which I was denied in my previous garden
due to lack of space. Naturally, my collection of palms and other
choice plants were to accompany me on this move.
The garden faces south and is blessed with a winding
stream and a small waterfall forming one boundary. During the preceding
winter, I designed the garden on paper with the 7.5m Trachycarpus
fortunei (see P.Q. 6/3) as the centrepiece, and with the advent
of spring and suitable weather, I set about landscaping the plot,
employing a J.C.B. machine and 200 tons of soil. By early June,
the landscaping was complete and the garden was ready to be planted.
Preparation of those subjects to be transplanted
had begun the previous summer, the roots of each plant being severed
to a depth of 40cm in a circle 30cm out from the base, a new ball
of roots hopefully forming by the time the move was to take place.
The involvement of moving home deprived me of the
time to even stroll through my previous garden for a period of several
weeks, and when I was able to do so, a few days prior to transplantation,
I received a great surprise. I had expected to wait several years
for the majority of my exotic plants to reach the f lowering stage,
but perhaps because of the recent mild winters and a week of high
temperatures in May, many were coming into bloom. The excitement
and pride I felt, examining each plant in turn to discover a developing
flower, I shall remember for all time.
Especially exciting were the colours found in the
emerging spears of Phormium tenax 'Yellow Wave': subtle shades of
purple, magenta, yellow and green, overlapping each other in vertical
bands - a beautiful sight to behold! Eyes agog and mouth agape,
my excitement was further heightened as I discovered that two 3m
high Cordyline australis were producing massive flower stalks the
thickness of my wrist.
Most satisfying however, was a Trachycarpus fortunei,
with just 60cm of trunk producing three flower spathes, which were
on the point of opening. Even a bushy specimen of Chamaerops humilis
with 15cm of trunk showed an emerging spathe. Further inspection
showed Phormium tenax and many of its coloured cultivars also flowering.
Similarly, the majority of Yucca varieties that I grow. Perhaps
the root trimming exercise caused this unexpected side effect.
Little did I realize what hard work would be involved
in moving the plants and I would like to take this opportunity to
thank a friend, James Shearer, for his help and expertise, for after
days of digging and struggling to lift and transplant these large
and cumbersome plants, I am pleased to report that not a single
one perished. Wilt-pruf anti-transpiration spray was applied to
the leaves before uprooting, and once re-sited, copious watering
administered for a two-week period.
Noticeable effects on the developing flowers ranged
from a loss of rigidity in Phormiums and Yuccas causing a temporary
collapse of the flower stalks which, after a 24 hour period, returned
to an upright position and developed normally thereafter. Cordyline
australis showed no ill effects, eventually producing huge panicles
of white flowers, which proved irresistible to the insect population.
As for Trachycarpus fortunei, the flower spathes
opened within a matter of days and the flower stalks emerged, but
unfortunately at this point, the palm suffered total bud-drop. Very
disappointing. In the case of Chamaerops humilis the spathe developed
very slowly, and come August, I noticed a protruding cluster of
green berries, which later turned black.
By late summer, all the plants appeared to be growing
vigorously, especially Cordyline australis; those that had flowered
were now multi-headed and very tropical in appearance.
I found two books most informative on the design
of the garden and the choice of plant material therein. "The
Exotic Garden" by Myles Challis and "The Sub-tropical
Garden" by William Robinson, published in 1871, a marvellous
book describing the palms and other exotic plants suitable for experimentation
in northern climes. What an indictment of present gardening trends
that we have to go to a 120-year old book for such information since
nothing comparable is available today.
As I write this, in mid-February, the Dollar area,
in common with much of Europe, is emerging from a lengthy cold spell.
Thankfully I suffered no casualties in the garden, only some damage
to specimens of Fascicularia pitcairnifolia whose upper leaves turned
white following temperatures of -9¾C in late January, that being
the lowest temperature recorded this year.
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