It was all plain sailing getting into Wisley today, no pretending in disguise for a floral celebration

The title to these diaries may be getting worse, for which I apologise, but you are here now. I hope you enjoy the content. I’ve tried to include plants that I’ve not covered before and there were so many interesting plants that could have been included. By both the astronomical and meteorological calendars we are now officially in summer and it certainly felt like it in the garden. The team have been spending a lot of their time watering the plants (with collected rainwater) for the last few weeks, just to keep them going in the heat. All pictures taken at Wisley on 27 June 2025.

Some plants from around the rock garden

The genus Dierama is known as the fiery wandflower or Angle’s fishing rods. In Afrikaans they are called Grasklokkies (Grass bells). The genus name is from the Greek – a funnel – the shape of the flower. They grow from corms, in grasslands in moist but well drained soil. They can take a few years to establish and resent disturbance once established. Dierama igneum was introduced to the UK by Yorkshire botanist James Backhouse in 1866 and is native to the Cape Provinces and KwaZulu-Natal.  The specific epithet is from the Latin – fiery red or glowing. The third picture Dierama mossii is at home in the Northern Provinces of SA, Eswatini and KwaZulu-Natal, growing to 45cm. It was named to honour Charles Edward Moss (1870 – 1930) who was an English born South African, botanist and editor of the first two parts of the Cambridge British Flora published in 1914 and 1920.

Scabiosa columbaria ‘Nana’ grows well in light calcareous soils that are nutrient poor from Europe to Iran including the Arabian Peninsula. It is known as the dwarf pincushion flower. The genus name is from the Latin – scabies – itch, it was believed to be a remedy for skin diseases. The specific epithet is also from the Latin – dove coloured or dove like. Convolvulus sabatius is known as the blue rock bindweed. It is mat forming and not invasive. This particular plant has been in the garden for many years and it has survived some heavy frosts in recent years. It is found in Morocco, Algeria and Italy. The genus name is from the Latin – convolvo – to entwine and has nothing to do with Swedish family cars that have a reputation for safety. Other brands are available. The specific epithet is also from the Latin – from Capo di Noli, Riviera de Ponente, Italy which is close to Monaco.

Onosma nana grows on limestone cliffs in its home in Turkey. It can have white, pale yellow or pale blue flowers, growing 10 – 20cm. I had to do a double-take researching the genus name. From the Greek – onos – an ass and – osme – smell- there may be a member of the genus that smells like an ass but I didn’t detect any unpleasant odours when taking my pictures. I will start a petition to get a more appealing genus name. It grows happily in a wall crevice, a raised bed or scree. At Wisley it grows in a raised sand bed. The specific epithet is from the Latin – dwarf. Thymus serpyllum ‘Minor’ is a selected form of a UK native. It has a wide distribution in northern Europe, from France, UK, Scandinavian countries and Russia. The specific epithet is from the Latin – thyme leaves, which is a good thing for a thyme plant to have. The flowers are edible and it certainly looks good enough to eat. From the level of interest given by the Honey bee (right hand side of the picture) there must be a good source of nectar as well.

There were many astilbes in flower

Before I started at Wisley I don’t think I’d heard of Georg Ardens or just how many of the named astilbe cultivars were due to his efforts. I came across an interesting article listing many of his introductions. You can be the judge as to whether the new introductions are better. The bar was set at a very high standard. https://ipps.org/uploads/docs/51_112.pdf

Astilbe ‘Bronce Elegans’ (simplicifolia group) has light pink flowers growing to 45cm. Astilbe ‘Weisse Gloria’ ( x arendsii) is one of the last whites to bloom and is classed as a late midseason growing to 50cm. The German name translates as White Gloria.

Astilbe simplicifolia ‘Praecox’ grows to 30cm, with shell pink flowers and sharply toothed, oval mid-green leaves, and flowers mid-late summer. The specific epithet is from the Latin – undivided or simple leaves and – praecox – very early, the fruits or flowers that mature. A. x crispa ‘Lilliput’ was introduced in 1927 and grows to 15cm, hence its cultivar name. It has crinkled, glossy leaves and is late to midseason flowering with very short thick plumes of salmon-rose flowers.

The first picture below has two plants. In the foreground is Rodgersia pinnata ‘Chocolate Wing’ and has pink flowers that turn red with age, but sadly not in this picture. It was a selection by Marco van Noort. The leaves emerge with purplish – bronze (chocolate) edges, changing colour as they age to green. They turn a rich bronze in the autumn. In the background, Astilbe ‘Mainz’ (japonica hybrid) has dark lilac pink flowers growing to 60cm. I’ve learned that Mainz is the regional capital of Rhineland – Palatinate state in West Germany. It was home to Johann Gutenberg, famous for his printing press. The second picture below is of Berberis thunbergii [Bonanza Gold] (‘Bogozam’) which has two names; the first in square brackets is the trade name and the cultivar name follows. It is a cross of B. t. atropurpurea x aurea. The genus name was given by Linnaeus after the North African tribe Berber, an Arabic word. The specific epithet was to honour Carl Peter Thunberg (1743 – 1828), and has the common name of the Japanese barberry, which is apparently a corruption of the Arabic word, with reference specifically to the fruit, a Berber berry.

Indigofera heterantha is known as the Himalayan indigo and is a member of the legume family. Some plants of the genus were used to make the blue / violet indigo dye. It is at home on sunny dry slopes from the northwestern Himalayas, Afghanistan, Tibet and Myanmar. The genus name is from the Latin – indicus – from India from where it came and – fero – to produce. The specific epithet is from the Latin – differing anthers, the flowers have one larger and two smaller anthers.

In the Alpine Display House

I counted over 30 pots of Rhodohypoxis in the display today which added colour around the foliage plants that were also present. Most are named cultivars of H. baurii or H. milloides. Brian Mathew wrote on Rhodohypoxis milloides: “Mrs Helen A. Milford, well known for her collections of living material in the Drakensberg also introduced further plants of Rhodohypoxis baurii and is attributed with the introduction of Rhodohypoxis milloides; however the description of the plant which received a Preliminary Commendation in 1949 under this name suggests that it was misidentified and was almost certainly Rhodohypoxis thodiana. The true Rhodohypoxis. milloides was not introduced until 1971 when Miss C. Williamson sent some plants to Mr W. Marais at Kew.” I’m still looking for details online of the names attached to many of the cultivars without success at present. R. b. ‘Emily Peel’- was this named for Lady Emily Peel (1836 – 1924)? Likewise R. b. ‘Rosie Lee’, was this named after the cockney rhyming slang for tea?

The next two are Rhodohypoxis milloides cultivars, R. milloides ‘Claudia’ and R. m. ‘Midori’. The Japanese for green is midori, but this could be just a coincidence.

Wahlenbergia matthewsii is known as Matthew’s harebell and is native to South Island, New Zealand. It grows in full sun, in free draining calcareous soil. The genus name is to honour Goran Wahlenberg (1780 – 1851), who was awarded a doctorate in Medicine in 1806, and also a Swedish botanist who wrote a ‘Botany of Lapland’. He became the professor of medicine and botany in 1829 at Uppsala University, taking over from Carl Peter Thunberg (1743 – 1828), mentioned again later in this diary. The specific epithet was named to honour Henry John Matthews (1859 – 1909) who was a New Zealand botanist who collected the first plant in 1905 in the Clarence Valley. More information about him can be found at:

https://citscihub.s3.amazonaws.com/MATTHEWS_Wahlenbergia_matthewsii.pdf

In my last diary I included a picture of Sempervivum calcareum ‘Extra’ and today there was another plant in flower.

Not every fern likes cool damp conditions

Cheilanthes is a genus of ferns that will thrive in sun and will tolerate drought. The genus name comes from the Greek – cheilos – a lip and – anthos – a flower. They have a curled over leaf margins that protect the sporangia (spore producing structures). Some authorities recognise these now being reclassified to Hemionitis and some to Myriopheris, but I’ll use the recognised RHS names for this diary. As gardeners we don’t have to worry about the politics of plant names and just enjoy them whatever they are called. The first two pictures are of Cheilanthes alabamensis. This fern is found in central and southeastern USA to Mexico and Jamaica. Its common name is the Alabama lip fern and as usual there are no prizes for having worked out that the specific epithet is from the Latin – of Alabama. Cheilanthes wootonii is known as the Bearded lip fern, or Wooton’s lace fern, found in southwestern and central USA to North Mexico. The specific epithet name was to honour Elmer Ottis Wooton (1865 – 1945). He wrote the Flora of New Mexico, published in 1915, which took him 20 years to complete. His work identified 231 new species and one new genus during his studies.

Cheilanthes lanosa is the hairy lip fern. It has mid-green leaves, 15 – 50 cm in length, with hairlike scales on both sides of the fronds and has brown stems. It is also another North America plant from western Canada to New Mexico. The specific epithet is from the Latin – softly – hairy, woolly or cottony. Cheilanthes bonariensis can be found in Tropical and subtropical Americas from Northwest Arizona to Argentina. The specific epithet is from the Latin – from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Its common name is the Golden lip fern.

Cheilanthes maderensis is known as the hay scented lip fern. Again, no prizes for working out the specific epithet is from the Latin – from Madeira, Madeiran. I could be getting the hang of these Latin names. It is more widespread than its name suggests as it can also be found in Morocco, Algeria, Portugal, Spain, France, Italy and the East Aegean Islands. Cheilanthes argentea, given my new found level of confidence will no doubt be from Argentina. D’oh! As Homer Simpson would say. It is found from Siberia to Japan and north Indo – China and the specific epithet is from the Latin – silvery, and has nothing to do with any country in South America. Don’t give up the day job.

“There’s a guy works down the chip shop swears he’s Elvis”

I was tempted to have this diary title based around the line from Kirsty MacColl’s 1981 song, to promote Hosta ‘Elvis Lives’. This Hosta was registered by Tony Avent, Plant Delights Nursery, North Carolina and is a cross of H. ‘Peter Pan’ x H. ‘Green Fantail’. Elvis might not be in a chip shop but he’s alive and well in the display house at Wisley. Hosta ‘Pacific Blue Edger’ was a blue foliage sport found by Dan Heims the CEO of Terra Nova Nurseries Inc. Dan was awarded the RHS Cory cup for his breeding work in Heuchera, clearly a man with many talents. Since 1973 he has been involved in horticulture, been a photographer, author, lecturer and radio host. In Dianna Grenfell’s book “The New Encyclopaedia of Hostas” (2009), it is described as having blue suede – like upper surfaces which persists longer in cooler climates. Another Elvis shoe reference,  you’ve been spared.

Some general views around the rock garden

It may be just a few days since the summer solstice but the garden has felt as if summer has been here for many weeks and long may it continue.

On this day in history 1746

Charles Edward Louis John Sylvester Maria Casimir Stuart (1720 – 1788) may hold the record for the longest name so far in my diaries. Better known as Bonnie Prince Charlie by his Jacobite supporters, or the Young Pretender.  From the Latin for James – Jacobus and  – praetendere – to stretch forth or claim, so literally the Young Claimer,  based on the fact he was the Grandson of James VII and he was claiming the throne. Following his defeat at Culloden on 16 April 1746, he spent months on the run before escaping to France on the frigate L’Heureux from near Arisaig, on 20 September 1746. It was on this day that Flora MacDonald (1722 – 1780) helped the Prince to escape from the Isle of Benbecula (between North and South Uist). She was living on the island when he arrived with some of his loyal supporters. Flora disguised the Prince as her Irish maid, Betty Burke, and helped the party to escape to Skye. Flora was arrested on 12 July and spent a year in prison for her involvement. She later married and emigrated to North Carolina, returning to Skye, after the end of the American War of Independence. Her husband had fought for the English and was imprisoned. Growing up she could never have imagined she would be affected by two civil wars, in two different countries, being on two different sides. She is buried in Kilmuir Cemetery on the Island. The lyrics to “The Skye Boat Song” were written in 1870’s by Sir Harold Boulton to a Gaelic tune composed in c1782 by William Ross to mark the event. Some readers will be familiar with the theme tune which was used in the Outlander series, which started in 2014, and series eight release is pending. Flora is the name of the Roman goddess of flowering plants which gives only a very tenuous link between this story and my diary, but when has that ever stopped me.