Hebe News – Article 2
UPDATE FROM SUSSEX
It is mid November, and down in the south east we are still experiencing drought conditions, with reservoir levels 50% lower than they would usually be at this time of year. We have had only 2.5 inches of rain since early June; we normally have at least 5–6 inches by now. So far this year we have not had a single frosty night.
The down side to all the damp, dreary weather is that the hebes are more susceptible to downy mildew. Hebe ‘Beatrice’, Hebe ‘Mrs Winder’, Hebe ‘La Favorite’ and Hebe ‘Franciscana’ are all suffering at the moment. They are all pot grown outside, with no protection. In a normal year they would be fine but this autumn has been unusual. I am having to spray fungicides every 14 days to keep on top of the problem, and hopefully will eradicate it by Christmas.
The interesting thing is that in the collection at Plumpton College exactly the same varieties are suffering. Theirs are in the ground, growing extremely well and have had a fairly heavy prune to keep them to size. They are all responding well to fungicidal sprays.
I am hoping to get Brinsbury College near Billingshurst, West Sussex to hold a duplicate collection to the one at Plumpton. The college is keen to hold a National Collection of some description, and I have offered them plant material to sway their decision towards Hebe instead of Lupinus or other herbaceous genera.
I have been working very closely with Gary Jones at Plumpton to sort out the provenance of some of our hebes. One of the college students has been tirelessly working to get the information correct. It seems that whichever book you pick up contradicts the next book, and with the exception of our own Hebe Society web site, all other sites either have the description or history completely wrong.
Several members have used the cuttings exchange this year and have requested cuttings material from me. Can I ask that if people do ask for plants or material, they pay me for the postage. I have been waiting for four months for a new member (you know who you are) to send the postage money to me for a box containing cuttings material, posted in August. If the scheme is to work, members have to be honest and abide by the rules. If not, the exchange will fail. I am certainly reluctant to let anybody else have cuttings material at the moment. Also, I cannot be held responsible for cuttings which fail to root! It is down to the individual receiving the material to look after it.
In the gardens at Heaselands, we have the following plants in full flower: Hebe ‘Sapphire’, Hebe ‘Midsummer Beauty’, Hebe ‘Candy’, Hebe ‘Franciscana’, Hebe elliptica, Hebe ‘Gauntlettii’, Hebe ‘Nicola’s Blush’, Hebe stricta and Hebe breviracemosa, which has been flowering since June and not stopped.
May the mild weather continue to keep the plants flowering, but it would be nice to see the sunshine once more.
Steve Harding
Registered Charity No 801398
