RANDOM  JOTTINGS  by J Random Jotter, PDSA

Whilst working on the information bureau at the NEC Gardeners’ World, we got chatting to some friends from the N.V.S. (National Vegetable Society).  The problem of the dreaded Blackspot was mentioned and one of their members told us of some products they used which would help to prevent it.

These products are of organic origin, mainly seaweed and appear to help to build up the plants’ resistance to disease.  Those of possible use to us are Alga 600, Guardian and Softguard.

These can be found on the internet at http://www.travena.co.uk.  I have not used these products so have no knowledge of their efficiency.  Worth a try though.

http://www.travena.co.uk/guardian.htm

                                       /alga 600.htm

                                       /plant health.asp

WMRS Stand at Gardener’s World

Our stand at the NEC attracted quite a lot of customers seeking information on roses.  Country Garden Plant Centre had provided us with a plentiful supply of roses in pots with which to decorate it and it so impressed the Organisers that we were awarded an RHS Merit Certificate.

Thanks to all our members who manned the stand during the week, and the team that set it up and sold off the roses at the end of the Show.   We could not provide this facility if we did not have the volunteers who willingly give their time to help promote the Society and their love of roses.                                                             

                                                                                          Jean

JUDGES'  SEMINAR HELD 9 APRIL, 2006

Thirty three Judges and two prospective judges attended the Seminar held at Pelsall on Sunday, 9 April. The following are some points raised which may be of interest to exhibitors.

The Show Schedule is to be revamped to have classes for 500, 250 and 100 roses and also Fun Classes which include Floating Blooms and Roses in gel.

With a floating bloom the bloom should not be touching the sides of the glass and the stem should not be touching the bottom. With the display in gel in a bowl, it was suggested that small blooms be used and not too much gel so that the gel did not come over the edge of the bowl when it was mixed with water.

A discussion ensued as to whether an exhibit could still be judged if the oasis came up over the edge of the container. This was to be referred back to the Committee, although the consensus of opinion was that in a vase it should be lower than the top to facilitate watering but with a basket or bowl if it was hidden by foliage the exhibitor could get away with it although it should be level with the top.

MINI FLORAS AND  HT's

Judges look for spacing, presentation and uniformity.  If the exhibitor has been able to mutilate a rose without anyone knowing that was fine. If he can get away with it - do it - example was an open rose in a palette..

HT blooms at the perfect stage should be ½ to ¾ open with a symmetrical outline and a high pointed centre. Looking at a bowl exhibit there should be no gaps between the roses and no touching.  The bottom roses must be quite low and this is often obtained by putting the blooms further back in the bowl to get the effect wanted. This brought up again the question of the oasis over the top of the bowl to get this effect but this could be done by putting the blooms further back.

Boxes - bigger blooms usually went into the boxes but make sure before you cut the stem and the head off that it is the right rose.  Check you have the number of varieties and that the vase is the correct size specified in the schedule.

With three stage blooms, there should be a good centre bloom but all the blooms should be judged separately as the bud and fully open bloom are just as important.

Faults to look for when judging were if the rose was lopsided, not symmetrical, weather damage, split centre, centre too open, bad colour, drooping petals, uniformity.

Presentation and uniformity - six specimen blooms in a basket instead of a box, eight roses to be introduced this year, exhibit must be in the confines of the handle.

Mini flora - big miniatures such as Kiss Kiss, Sunset Strip. American Minis getting bigger all the time such as Ffion and Mini Pearl. There was more foliage on the mini floras. Louis Desamero, Glowing Amber, Amber Star could also go in this class.

CLUSTER FLOWERED ROSES

No stem on stem, all blooms the same size, candelabra type.

A bowl of Fred Loads showed how a bowl should look with no crushing or crowding and foliage at its base. With regard to vases, an exhibit should not have stems that were too long in relation to the size of vase - blooms on sticks - where 4 - 6" could be taken off the bottom to get blooms lower down. Blooms should be fresh without gaps.  

With regard to Cluster Flowered exhibits, anything can be shown anywhere except Old Garden Roses. When showing three stems, the flowers must be the same form - Anne Harkness and Sally Holmes. Three stems of one variety in a vase - Judges will look for variation of colour and lack of uniformity.
 
OLD  GARDEN  ROSES

For the definition of an OGR see Roses to Enjoy. One rose not eligible is Gypsy Boy which is a modern shrub.  Modern Roses 10 lists every known variety

Rosa Mundi was a winner every time it was on the show bench, also Charles de Milne is good for exhibiting.

Definition of OGR used to be roses before 1910.

Open face Rugosa - wild rose - Rose Rugosa Alba is OK to use but the Hybrid Rugosa is not eligible, also Rosa Rugosa Hansa.  Canary Bird - wild rose Hybrid shrub is eligible.
Sombreuil - favourite Tea Rose is eligible also Madam Alfred Carrier, OGR climber and Noisette.
The foliage on David Austin's Gertrude Jekyll shows it is not an OGR.

THE VEITCH FAMILY
 

Employers of plant collectors

I have of course heard of the prestigious Veitch Memorial Medal, awarded annually by the Royal Horticultural Society to those who have helped in the advancement of the science and practice of horticulture.  I must confess that I knew next to nothing of the family of nurserymen called Veitch whose name is commemorated in the medal.

In January 2006 my wife and I unfortunately had to attend my brother’s funeral in Devon. Whilst walking around Exeter we discovered a city centre shrub garden, dedicated to the Veitch family. Plaques gave details of five generations of the family, the Exeter and Chelsea nurseries described by Roy Lancaster as Britain’s most famous, the plant hunters they employed, and examples of outstanding plants and shrubs introduced to Britain.

Subsequently I learned more from a wonderful book, “Seeds of Fortune a Gardening dynasty” by Sue Shephard. I recommend this book to you all.

John Veitch, a Scotsman, (1752-1839) originally trained as a forester, working for Robert Dickson and Son, Scotland’s premier horticultural nursery at this time, but completed his apprenticeship in the Vineyard Nursery in Hammersmith. John was employed by the Acland family as gardener on the Killerton estate in Devon.  Whilst redesigning the whole of the Killerton grounds John was promoted to become the Head Steward or Agent of all the Acland properties in Devon. As part of his remuneration Sir Thomas Aclund gave permission to John to set up his own tree nursery, on Killerton land at Budlake, to which John was given life tenure. John sold trees to many South Western estates, and both designed other gardens in the area and implemented for some landowners designs originally created by Humphrey Repton.

His son, James Veitch (1792-1863) gradually widened the firm’s scope by adding a wide knowledge of perennials and flowering shrubs to the tree business. His reputation was built on his pruning grafting and greenhouse work, and experiments in new introductions.  In 1825 he joined the Horticultural Society, established in the early 19th Century by

John Wedgwood  with the enthusiastic support of George III and his gardeners and Joseph Banks from Kew.  James Veitch’s dahlia introductions won him a medal from the Society. In 1830 whilst John continued to run the Budlake tree nursery, James set up a new nursery at Mount Radford in Exeter selling garden and greenhouse plants.

In turn James’s son, James Junior (1815-1869) joined his father in the firm. James Junior established his reputation by greenhouse work, producing new rhododendrons, camellias, fuchsias, and propagating orchids, which became a Victorian craze. The firm decided to send out plant collectors of their own as well as propagating seeds and grafts from others’ introductions. The firm was the first commercial venture to employ plant collectors.  More usually plant collectors had been funded by Kew, the Royal Society and by rich landowners especially the Duke of Devonshire.

Over the next 75 years the Veitches sent out twenty plant collectors all around the world. They were the first to collect in Japan, made many discoveries in China, but worked also in North and South America and India. Amongst their most famous collectors were William Lobb, James Lobb, and E.H. Wilson. The firm was responsible for the introduction to Britain of the Wellingtonia and the monkey puzzle tree. Some of the varieties of Acer, azalea, berberis, camellia, conifer and orchids enjoyed today came as a result of these plant hunters, and of course the superb cultivation and subsequently marketing and sale of the “exotics” back in England.

In 1852 James Senior expanded the firm further by purchasing a new nursery in Chelsea, which the firm called the Royal Exotic nursery. James Junior was to manage this branch whilst James Senior retained the Exeter premises.

James Junior and his son Harry (1840-1924) were very prominent in the Royal Horticultural Society.   James Junior was prominent at a time when the society had royal patronage, was very divided about future directions and heavily saddled with debt.  His biggest achievement was to foster committees concerned with horticulture rather than just administration of the society, such as the fruit and vegetable committee in 1858, followed by the floral committee in 1859.

Sir Henry (Harry) Veitch spent many years on the RHS Council, and led RHS committees which oversaw the establishment of Wisley, and raised the funds to purchase the New Hall in Vincent Square London. At various times he was chairman of the Wisley Garden Committee, and Treasurer. He remained active in the RHS until his death in 1924, when he was described as Britain’s greatest horticulturalist.

Two roses discovered by Veitch plant hunters are yellow Rosa xanthina discovered by collector Purdom in 1911, and Rosa Moyesii discovered by E.H. Wilson in 1906, most noted for its large orange vermillion hips.  William Lobb’s name has been given to a strong scented purple moss rose, and James Veitch is a remontant moss rose.

Harry Veitch’s nephew James Herbert predeceased him. Henry himself had no children. The Chelsea branch of the firm was broken up and sold in 1914, and the Exeter branch was sold in 1969 two years before the death of final owner Mildred Veitch, great granddaughter of James Veitch senior.
                                                                 Ian Lancaster (August 2006)

 

A  CELEBRATION ROSE (but will it flower on time?)

A hybrid tea rose in pretty shades of purple, lilac and magenta pink with a sweet perfume has been named 'First Great Western'
for the train company and will be seen in displays and flower beds at stations on the First Great Western route.

Grown by C & K Jones the hardy rose will be available to buy, priced at £10 and for every rose sold through the website £1.50 will go to the country's leading children's cancer charity CLIC. Visit http://www.jonestherose.co.uk/ for details.

NEW  GROUND  COVER ROSE

The latest addition to the Flower Carpet series of ground cover roses bred by Noack Roses to be highly disease resistant is Rosa Flower Carpet Gold (Noalesa)
This has buttercup yellow semi-double flowers with dark yellow stamens and the blooms mature to a rich dark yellow.  It can be grown in semi-shade or full sun and reaches a height of 60 - 80 cm with a spread of 80 cm, blooming from late spring to late autumn. Flower Carpet Gold will be available in selected garden centres from this spring.