GARDENING

HOW PLANTS GOT THEIR NAMES . . . RHODODENDRON FORTUNE

PLANT hunting was not merely a search for pretty flowers, though it resulted in many beautiful introductions.

The pursuit of plants was highly commercial and often dangerous. Robert Fortune landed in Hong Kong in 1843, just after the Opium Wars had ended and the island had been ceded to Britain, to travel into the Chinese interior – the first Western plant-hunter to do so.

He was also the first to carry Wardian cases, like mini-greenhouses, which meant he could send back living plants.

Surviving attacks by pirate junks, he collected many plants new to Britain, and discovered the wonders of growing chrysanthemums.

His next trip was tougher still – to learn the closely-guarded secret of how the Chinese grew tea then smuggle plants to India.

Disguised as a Chinese traveller, he endured several ordeals to fulfil the mission, enabling the tea industry to be founded in India and Ceylon (now Sri Lanka)

He made other expeditions including one to Japan before retiring to his native Scotland where he died in 1880, aged 68.

Among the garden plants he introduced were winter jasmine, weigela, Japanese anemone, pompom chrysanthemum and a shrub which bears his name, Rhododendron fortunei.

IT’STULIPTIME!IT’STULIPTIME!

SPECTACULAR: Tulip display in Keukenhof Gardens. Inset, Queen of Night and Pink Diamond tulips

IF there’s a more cheerful flower than the tulip in bloom at this time of year, I would love to see it.

Spring Green, ivory white with green feathering; Gavota, with pointed, outward-inclined petals of rich maroon, edged in cream; Blue Parrot, frilly

Tulips are unbeatable for diversity and magnificence.

There are more than 100 species and thousands of varieties in elegant shapes and virtually every colour except pure blue. Many have contrasting streaks and blotches which make them even more striking.

The world’s most magnificent displays are staged every spring in the Keukenhof Gardens –nearly 500,000 acres containing no fewer than seven million tulips, hyacinths, brilliant blue grapehyacinths and other eye-catching blooms at Lisse in the Netherlands.

Tulips are easy to grow in British gardens, in the ground or large, deep containers. They look great whether in a single-colour group or mixed in complementary shades like those of Queen of Night and Pink Diamond. Most kinds are grown in blocks of the same colour for impact, either alone or mixed with spring bedding plants such as wallflowers or forget-menots, lifted after flowering and replanted each autumn. The bulbs are best planted in late October or November, ideally in full sun, sheltered from wind and in fertile, well-drained soil. Most kinds are trouble-free though bulbs can rot in poorly-drained ground. Top-class varieties include: World’s Favourite, which has huge flowers of brilliant tangerine with golden edging; Carnaval de Nice, with double, peony-like blooms, white flecked with crimson; petals of mauve with hints of blue. Tulips were probably cultivated in Turkey from around the year 1000, although they did not originate there but came from the steppes of western and centralAsia. However, it was the Ottoman Turks who gave the flower its name, tulbend, meaning turban, which was Latinised to tulipa, the tulip’s botanical name. In the Netherlands, the 17th-century financial hysteria called tulipomania reached its peak when bulbs changed hands for thousands of pounds each. One record shows the payment for a single bulb as two loads of wheat, four loads of rye, four fat oxen, eight fat swine, 12 equally plump sheep, two hogshead of wine, four barrels of beer, two barrels of butter, 1,000 pounds of cheese, a complete bed – and a wagon worth 500 guilders to cart it all away.

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CHECKLIST

FLOWERS: When the flowers of daffodils and other spring bulbs fade, spray or water them with a liquid feed once a fortnight until the leaves start to die down. In a warm spell in April, plant perennial flowers such as lupins and dahlias. PATIOS: Plant up tubs and hanging baskets in May or inApril if under glass. Protect them at night until the risk of frost has passed.

SHRUBSAND TREES:

Prune shrubs that have finished flowering. Cut out dead wood, weak growth and crossing branches then trim to keep the shape balanced. Do not prune shrubs and trees which have still to flower this year. LAWNS: Spike lawns, especially if they are damp or mossy, then apply a spring lawn feed, mosskiller or lawn weedkiller as appropriate. Combined formulations are available. For maximum effect, let the grass grow for a week before applying. When moss turns black, generally after a fortnight, rake it out of the lawn. PONDS: Water lilies and other pond species need feeding just like any other plant: use special pond fertiliser pellets pushed down into the roots.April is ideal for pump and filter maintenance so fish and wildlife get the benefit of clear water throughout the summer. FRUIT: Where apples or pears have been infested with grubs, spray with an insecticide when the blossoms are in bud and again when the petals have fallen. VEGETABLES: Most vegetables can be sown outdoors InApril but leave French and runner beans until mid or late May. HOUSEPLANTS: Water more freely, feed regularly and do not leave plants in full sun all day except for types really suited to hot conditions.