Author Archives: mercym

About mercym

Plant Conservation Officer for Plant Heritage

Poisonous party

Posted on July 24, 2012

A visit on a sunny afternoon (at last!) to the Royal College of Physicians in Regents Park where the London Group held their summer party. A delightful venue for a party, with quite exceptional catering and service.  We were entertained … Continue reading →

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Captivating Catasetinae

Posted on April 8, 2012

In January I was lucky enough to attend a talk by Max Hopkinson on his Catasetum collection, at a meeting of our East Midlands Group. The Catasetinae tribe or sub-tribe represents a secondary rank of taxa coming between Family(Orchidaceae) and genus … Continue reading →

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Care in the community

Posted on April 3, 2012

A new project will be starting at Bristol Zoo Gardens as part of the Communities in Nature programme initiated and coordinated by Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI), and funded by the Calouste Gulbenkian foundation. This is a trial run of … Continue reading →

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Looking for lilies

Posted on February 28, 2012

One of Plant Heritage’s newest Collection Holders, Madeleine Tinson  is looking for help to track down plants missing from her Collection. Mylnefield lilies were bred by Chris North in the 1960s and 70s at the Scottish Crop Research Institute (SCRI) … Continue reading →

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Lavandin, Lavender and Linalool

Posted on February 13, 2012

On one of the coldest and nastiest days in February I and a few other hardy souls attended the Kent Group AGM, in the charming village of Hollingbourne.  The AGM itself was over in minutes, leaving us with the main … Continue reading →

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Snowdrops in the snow

Posted on February 7, 2012

A very pleasant visit to Margaret MacLennan in Essex, to see her Galanthus Collection. The weather was not the most hospitable, but luckily Margaret and her husband were, so it was immense fun. Margaret in her greenhouse, showing us her ‘workstation’ … Continue reading →

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Anagram Answers!

Posted on January 3, 2012

1. Hullo beer singer – Helleborus niger 2. Hippo rum a curable hire – Euphorbia pulcherrima (Poinsettia) 3. Hail deer hex – Hedera helix (ivy) 4. Quail emu fix oil – Ilex aquifolium (holly) 5. A blue summons tour -Solanum … Continue reading →

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Christmas anagram agony

Posted on December 20, 2011

It is the week before Christmas and those of you who are not working, digging or ordering seeds may require a little something to stretch your mental muscles with. Below are some anagrams with a festive theme; but I warn … Continue reading →

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Beating the bounds

Posted on December 2, 2011

I was very lucky to be invited along to a Friends walk at Stone Lane Gardens this week. The walk was taken by Paul Bartlett, the Gardens Manager who managed to cram so much fascinating information about birch and alder … Continue reading →

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A unique quandary

Posted on September 30, 2011

I was lucky enough to receive several Pelargonium cultivars through the Plant Heritage Plant Exchange this year. (Rare plants for free! but only if you are a member..) This was received as Pelargonium ‘Unique Aurora’, and doesn’t quite match the … Continue reading →

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