Hobson's Garden Stories
To boldly grow where no one has groan before
Monday, January 13, 2025
Gnomes on the Loam
I’m not fond of items in the garden that don’t grow, and Gneville sure doesn’t. However, garden gnomes might be on a revival after the Lord of the Rings movies. I don’t think gnomes were featured, but there were dwarves — close enough, I say, as they’re often confused.
Nevertheless, garden gnomes have always been popular, and since this area has strong cultural association with Germany, it’s important to remember that the first garden gnome (der Gartenzwerg) was made in Graeferoda, Thuringia, Germany in the early 1800's.
Gnomes were first described by Swiss alchemist Paracelsus during the Renaissance period as magical creatures who didn’t like to mix with humans. Whatever the origin, each country has a name for these mythical beings. In England, they’ve been referred to as Nains or Hobs. Hobs? Wait a minute. What does that make me?
Mythical or not, latter day garden gnomes have been on the move. They quickly spread throughout Europe, arriving in England in 1840 at the estate of Sir Charles Isham, the 10th Baronet of Lamport Hall where they acquired the gnome moniker. Only one of the original batch has survived. Nicknamed Lampy, he’s on display and insured for £1 million.
They certainly became popular in the UK. In fact, Ann Atkin, of West Putford in Devon had a world record collection of 2,042 friendly garden gnomes. Then after forty years of gnome collecting, Anne decided in 2021 to close her reserve. After a winter in storage, they are now on display again entertaining summer visitors at Merry Harriers Garden Centre in the village of Woolsery. With a name and address that could have come out of Tolkien’s Middle Earth, they must feel right at home.
In European mythology, gnomes are described as hard working and responsible, but this bunch can be seen snoozing, aimlessly riding farm animals, and indulging in all manner of activities, as gnomes do. There’s even a section for sporty ones called the Gnome Run. Like Lampy, the value has risen for rare garden gnomes and collectors will pay plenty, especially if they’re the old iron or terra-cotta versions.
As part of the landscape in Britain and Germany, rare ones are seen by some as a status symbol, then there are others who go for quantity over quality. A few years ago, I was driving through a village in England when I simply had to stop the car when I spotted a donsy, the collective term for gnomes. Before me was a front yard filled with more gnomes than plants, an impressive sight. And yet they’re not popular everywhere. They were banned from the gardens at the Chelsea Flower Show until the Royal Horticultural Society relented and allowed them for one year only in 2013. Even a pair of royal gnomes made an appearance.
Whether you are a fan of garden gnomes or not (George Harrison welcomed them into his garden and even included them on an album cover), they’re certainly controversial characters, and if they bring the good luck that they’re reputed to, then I’d say every garden needs one.
Tuesday, December 31, 2024
Getting closer but not there yet
Saturday, December 14, 2024
Poinsettias sure get around
It wouldn’t be Christmas without them, but I have a hard time deciding if they’re a plant or a Christmas decoration. It’s such a firmly entrenched tradition that I dare say most are purchased with the latter in mind. They’re available in colours and patterns to match any decor. That’s the poinsettia, of course, and the number produced is mind boggling. By Christmas, it’s unlikely anyone indoors in North America is more than a few steps from one.
It all began with a German immigrant to the U.S. in 1900. Although introduced to the country in 1828 by botanist and Ambassador to Mexico, Joel Roberts Poinsett, noted as the 'official discoverer’, it’s thanks to that German farmer, Albert Ecke and his descendants that you’re likely looking at one now.Intrigued by the poinsettia, Albert began selling the plants at street stands in Los Angeles. His son Paul improved the plants giving them a bushier, more comely appearance, rather than the original weedy plant. It was then grandson Paul Ecke Junior’s turn to advance the association with Christmas.
He did this by sending free plants to television stations where they were displayed on air in the weeks from Thanksgiving to Christmas. He even appeared as a guest on the Tonight Show and on Bob Hope's Christmas specials to promote the plants. By the 1990s, the Ecke family held a virtual monopoly on production.
That changed when university researcher John Dole discovered the secret of how the family developed their unique poinsettias. After Dole published it, competitors began producing plants using low-cost labour in Latin America. The Ecke family business no longer grows poinsettias in the US, but still has a huge market share worldwide.
I don’t remember when I saw my first poinsettia, but it was here in Canada. As a Christmas plant they took off first in North America, but the rest of the world is catching up. Holly and mistletoe have been popular in Europe for centuries. Now, those traditional Christmas plants have been overtaken by the poinsettia. South Africa and Australia are catching up. In Australia, they’re also forced into bloom for Christmas. Given the climate there, they can be happily grown in the garden as well. Wouldn’t that be nice?
As a winter flower, it’s becoming popular in China, Japan,
and South Korea where Christmas, at least the commercial aspect, has found a
place. Despite different cultural traditions, it comes as a surprise to many
travelers to cities in East Asian countries to discover Christmas trees on
display in shopping malls, so it’s no wonder the poinsettia is appearing there
as well.
It can now be found growing wild in Turkey, where the climate, similar in places to Mexico, suits it. In fact, due to its proliferation as a houseplant around the world, where the climate does agree with it, there’s every chance poinsettia could become an invasive plant in the wild. Imagine a world in which there’s one in sight wherever you look — maybe not.
I confess I’m a reluctant admirer of the poinsettia, however, I was amazed the first time I ever saw one growing naturally outdoors. It was over two metres high, clambering up the side of a funeral parlour in Lahaina, Hawaii, and I thought it looked wonderful. Then again, it was January and the soft ocean breezes and ukulele music might have had some effect on my opinion.
Sunday, December 8, 2024
Amaryllis -- or is it?
Here’s a little trivia to share, however, it might only elicit a few murmurs of huh, okay, or how about that — if you’re lucky. The only occasion when it might be worth repeating is when a conversation has stalled and is almost beyond recovery. It might help if there’s an amaryllis handy, preferably in bloom, or at least sprouting leaves.
It’s then you could pipe up and say, "Although we might call them amaryllis, the correct name is Hippeastrum, a genus of plants from South America.” Right, you needn’t have bothered because few give a hoot about the botanical nomenclature of plants. Botanists do, although they don’t always agree. They long debated whether the ones we know and love belong in the genus Hippeastrum, a group of plants native to South America, or should they be classed as Amaryllis belladonna, a plant from southern Africa?The argument went on until 1987 when the 14th International Botanical Congress decided our seasonal houseplant was indeed from the genus Hippeastrum. Fortunately, they agreed amaryllis would be a “conserved name”, meaning it was okay to continue calling it what we always have done.
Regardless, these plants that brighten our homes as days shorten are all the result of hybridisation of Hippeastrum species from Central and South America. They’re selected and bred for flower size and ease of forcing in a gorgeous range of colours that continues to expand.
As for Amaryllis belladonna, the one that caused all the confusion, it’s a plant that you’d more likely see growing outdoors. In more temperate regions around the world, it’s become naturalized. One of the common names for it is naked ladies, so named, not after the band, but because the flowers bloom before the leaves appear, like the fall crocus. It could be grown in our gardens as a summer flowering bulb, that is if you can find it.
I’m afraid my suggestion of a garden plant that you can’t easily buy is about as useful as the bit of trivia, so back to our good old amaryllis. You might be unloading one with the groceries right now as they’re currently being sold everywhere. If you also bought a monster garlic or some kind of exotic root vegetable, make sure it’s the amaryllis that goes in a flowerpot, not the soup pot because it is somewhat toxic to humans, but only if you eat a lot. Dogs and cats, however, can become quite ill if they were to chew on a bulb or eat the leaves.
Now that I’ve sorted out the plant that no one was confused about until I brought it up, here’s how to care for it. Some come ready planted with complete instructions, but if you’re starting out with a bare (don’t mention naked) bulb, choose a pot that is slightly larger than the bulb, preferably a heavier one to avoid tipping.
Don't bury the bulb completely in the pot, just two thirds to three quarters deep leaving the shoulders exposed. A specific potting soil isn’t necessary. Place in a warm, sunny location and water sparingly at first as too much can cause rotting. Gradually water more as the leaves and flower bud appear and fertilize every couple of weeks. To prolong blooming, move it to a still bright but slightly cooler location.
Pinch off the blooms as they fade but keep the leaves growing for as long as possible to replenish the bulb. To get it to flower again next winter, sink the pot in the ground outdoors in spring. Cut off the foliage after it dies back, then leave it be until September.
Repot in fresh soil, bring it indoors, repeat the process as above and you can look forward to it blooming a second time — how about that, huh?