Editorial
Martin Gibbons, c/o The Palm Centre
mail@palmsociety.org
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The year is rushing by, not so many weeks before its
over and were in 2001. Who ever would have imagined it? However,
we have winter to get through first and I for one am gambling on
the continuation of the lucky streak we (at least in the UK) have
been having for 10 or 11 years now. We havent had a severe
winter since then, and each autumn I pray for just one more
mild winter. Please? Evidence that it has been a long time
since we had a decent winter can be seen all across
London. Cordyline australis, which will be killed by a hard frost,
can be seen in enormous sizes across and around the capital. After
a bad winter these plants, which, at 8-10 feet are starting to get
interesting are reduced to stumps, only to begin the
cycle again, from suckers, which are put up in great numbers in
the spring. Should you be unlucky enough to have this happen to
you, dont be tempted to leave them all in place (there may
be 15 or 20), or you will end up with a shapeless mass of shoots.
Instead, choose the biggest and strongest, and remove the rest.
With all the energy from the huge root ball that would have been
supporting the parent plant, the lucky seedling will grow so fast
it will make you head spin. With adequate watering, some good soil
and the judicious application of fertilizer, within a very few years
it will be back where it was.
Much has been written (not least in Chamaerops) over
the years about protection of palms, and other exotics over the
winter. But how to find it? Well, there is a way. If you have opted
for on-line membership, you can browse all our back issues (well,
many of them. More are being added all the time) using key words.
Type in the word snow for example and all mentions of
this word in all these back issues will be brought up on the screen
for you to examine further. Or try shelter, winter protection
or even fleece and you will be able to find everything
that has been written on these subjects since the European Palm
Society began.
Due to the enormous amount of work done by Toby and
Rudolph Spanner, we are soon going to be back on track, and they
are to be complimented. As it happens we have a good number of articles
on hand at the moment, and I would like to thank all those who contribute
to our magazine, regularly or intermittently. Would you perhaps
like to write but dont know a subject? Heres a few suggestions
to inspire you.
Interviews are really popular. Do you know a palm
nut? Sit down for half an hour and chat to him (or her) about the
things you would most like to know. Chances are, theyre the
kind of things that other members would like to know also. Take
some notes, maybe write some questions down first and jot down the
replies. You can easily re-construct the interview later and get
it down in print. Or better even, tape the interview and simply
type it later. The interviewee does not have to be well-known. Ordinary
people often have the most interesting stories to tell.
Could you organize a quiz? The one we had before was
very successful. How well do you know your palms and other exotics?
Could you set 20 questions? Maybe youre a crossword fanatic.
Could you design your own? Let us have it for Chamaerops.
Got a favourite palm book? Could you write 600 words
(about the length of this Editorial) about it. Or 300? Get down
who wrote it, how much it cost and what you think about it. Or maybe
youve come across one that you hate, or that is replete
with errors. Write about that one too. There are so many palm
books about these days, a bit of guidance would go a long way.
Well, theres a few ideas to get you started.
You could also write about favourite palms (up close and personal!),
Botanic Gardens, where to see spectacular species, lesser known
hardy palms, palm pests a short series maybe.
The important thing is that you write something. Most
people have a story in them and its highly likely that our
members would be interested in yours!
Enjoy this issue; it was written by people like you!

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