» home
» about
» membership
» branches
» journal
» information
» forum
» sparoza
» members' gardens
» notice-board
» news & views
» seed exchange
» in bloom now
» contact
» site map
» search this site
ACTING BRANCH HEAD
Joan Ball
Pacha Mama,
28 Carrer Berlin,
Calonge, Spain.
(+34) 972 662061
|
The Catalonian
Branch of the MGS
Forthcoming Events
4 February – 11.00 - Mar i Murtra Botanical Gardens Blanes
Presentation by Peter Steadman: Soils of Catalonia and Plant Health
Soils are one of the trinity of key factors for plant growth. We will inspect some ways in which soils affect plant health, addressing pH, drainage, macro/micro nutritional elements and obstacles to their availability. We will then look at some of the more extreme cases of soil preferences by plants, before turning to the Costa Brava and trying to predict the soils based on the underlying geology. We will end with an analysis of how our local in situ soils might stress common plants and what remedial actions might be beneficial. Peter Steadman is an excellent speaker and a very knowledgeable gardener. His talk is very interesting and applicable to gardening in this region, so I would encourage both professional gardeners and enthusiasts not to miss this presentation. Lunch will be at the Melangies Restaurant in Blanes and will cost 12.50 euros – please contact us if you would like to attend the presentation and/or the lunch.
15 and 16 February - Girona
Green Forum – Activities, lectures and exhibitions by experts in gardening
At this event there are a number of displays from professional nurseries, together with discussion groups throughout the two days. This is an open event, however, if anyone would like to meet up on the 16th, then please contact us. You can get more information on their website where you can also apply for free entrance tickets.
Past events
2010
The highlight of the year’s Catalonia Branch agenda was a visit in late May to Pat and Val Mills' glorious garden Pedrafita, near Salo, inland from Girona. It sits at the end of a four-kilometre farm track high above pine forests with a panoramic view of the surrounding country. Thirty-seven years of effort have created an extensive garden surrounding the renovated old mas. Pat’s original interest was in roses and despite the fact that this terrain has very little to no water he has persuaded 200 different varieties of rose to cover the walls, adorn courtyard nooks and delight the eye in long borders. They were profusely in flower at the time of our visit. His roses include many of David Austin’s. His best climber is the Noisette Madame Alfred Carrière which has beautifully scented white flowers.
With temperatures ranging from -15°C in winter to +40°C in summer, plants here have to be hardy to survive. Pat had useful tips about using terracotta pots or plastic bottles dug in beside plants to ensure that what little water they were given in the first year got to the roots. He also cautioned against using manure or fertilizer for plants which prefer poor soil. He has since added a huge and highly successful collection of Phlomis as well as 16 varieties of Artemisia. The borders were awash with colour also from annual delphiniums, Verbascum, Cistus, the blue larkspur and Nigella.
2008
This was a sparse year for visits since we have run seriously short of venues. However we had an exceptional day in late May on the Costa Brava visiting the green Italianate garden of St Clothilde at Lloret del Mar which was a triumph of design from the 1920s. Then lunch at Judy and Geoff Jordan’s with the treat of wandering their 11 hectare garden which is slowly being hewn out of a wilderness of wild heather and planted with an intriguing collection of English and native flowering plants. After lunch we returned for the second time to Pinya Del Rosa, the extraordinary sixty year old cactus and succulent garden at Santa Cristina perched high on the cliffs above the sea. The previous visit three years ago in February was timed for the Aloe flowering. This time the massive tree-like cacti were cascading white blooms, beautifully set off by the shrieking peacocks fanning their blue tails on the pathways. The Opuntia collection here, some 600 varieties, is the largest in the world. We had our normal annual lunch at Banyuls Sur Mer on Sunday October 5th with a lecture from Gill Pound of La Petite Pépinière de Caunes on Dry Climate Plants for Catalonia.
2007
We finished off the year with a splendidly entertaining, informative and witty lecture from Pat Mills on Understanding Roses. He brought sense to the bewildering array of varieties, outlining their history from Roman times, the Chinese strains and the influence of Napoleon Bonaparte’s Empress Josephine (whose middle name was Rose) in making them popular in Europe. His long experience of growing roses in the difficult climate of inland Spain (minus 15 degrees to plus 40) with no water produced many helpful tips on methods and suitable varieties.
February 2007
A Day of Palm Trees and Succulents
On a beautiful morning, with more than a touch of spring in the air, around 20 members of the Catalonia branch of the MGS met at the palm and exotic tree specimen nursery of Eusebi Torrent Serra in Anglès, close to Girona.
 Many of the trees were new to the majority of us, including the fascinating bottle-shaped Chorisia speciosa, with spike-like protrusions on the trunk. All of the trees we saw originate in Argentina or other parts of South America and are transported at a relatively mature stage to Spain. We also saw the Erythrina crista-galli, so-called because its orange-red flowers resemble a cock's crest or comb, and Geoffroea decorticans, which has an appearance similar to mimosa and is resistant to both drought and cold spells. The palms included superb examples of Butia yatay as well as Trithrinax campestris (blue needle palm) and the blue-hued Brahea armata.
We then continued on to Eusebi's nursery with its vastly impressive selection of palms, including enormous examples of Phoenix canariensis, as well as Sabal mexicana which is resistant to cold and wind, Cycas revoluta and Jubaea chilensis. The long lines of palms in oversize containers formed impressive avenues and at a certain point the wide pathway with stretches of Butia yatay on either side was reminiscent of the avenues at Luxor or Karnak.
Even more breathtaking was the third part of the visit, this time to Eusebi's private estate up on the hillside. Here we were faced with the astounding scene of 25,000 palm trees of various sizes, colours and patterns, surrounding his house, almost as far as the eye could see. Eusebi's grandfather and father were dealers in soil and it was his father who started the plantation and passed on to his son the passion for palms of every description.
 After lunch in the warm sunshine in the port of Blanes, our last visit of the day was to the Jarn Bonico Tropical Pinya de Rosa, close to Lloret de Mar. This garden has a wonderful collection of cacti and succulents and was the original idea of the owner, Dr. Fernando Riviere de Caralt, who started the collection in 1945. The timing of our excursion was carefully planned to allow us to view the aloes in flower and they were a magnificent sight. Those in bloom were mainly the Aloe arborescens species (part of the multi-stemmed aloes group), and the rambling aloe group. Amongst these we could view Aloe striatula (yellow wiry stem flowers ) and Aloe ciliaris (hair-like structure with yellow-tipped, bright red flowers ). Also in flower in the creeping aloe group were Aloe distans (head-shaped flowers from dull orange to bright red) and Aloe mitriformis (creeping aloe with bright red flowers).
In the spotted aloe group, we found Aloe grandidentata (multi-branched, dull red flowers), Aloe maculata and Aloe zebrina (dull pink flowers).
Sadly enough, the most spectacular aloes of the single stemmed group were not yet in bloom: Aloe marlothii (very large bright orange-red flowers), Aloe ferox (orange to red, yellowish and even white forms), Aloe speciosa (flowers changing colour from red to greenish-white rosette).
It was difficult and even impossible to distinguish all the different varieties, as most of them are natural hybrids. Hybrids often grow more rapidly, flower sooner and produce more striking flowers than pure species.
The various collections of plants in the garden have been laid out systematically in large rock-enclosed beds with strong representation from opuntias and platiopuntias, cylindropuntias and austrocylindropuntias, Agavaceae and aloes. Plants have been sourced from their natural habitats, but also from other botanical gardens and private collections all over the world. American specialists regard the Opuntia collection here as one of the most important globally, and the collections of Agavaceae, aloes, yuccas and Mesembryanthemaceae (Aizoaceae) are considered to be amongst the best in Europe. The entire collection currently contains more than 7000 species excluding the local flora. Every year more than 1500 species are sown to increase the collection, which is based on original types and officially recognised hybrids.
The Pinya de Rosa Garden is located on a hillside with a view of the sea, and it is possible to walk down to the beach through a wooded area which belongs to the property. We were fortunate to be there when there were virtually no other visitors, which gave us the impression of having this beautiful park full of exotic foliage and flowers all to ourselves.
At first glance one might think that a day spent looking at palm trees and succulents is quite a narrow choice - but no, it was fascinating and inspiring to see what is available and what one can do with plants that make a major contribution to a drought-resistant and water-wise garden.
Liz Thompson and Dominique Cordonnier
Branch Head - Joan Ball
"I inherited my passion for gardening from my mother who was a prize rose grower and my grandfather who was a successful nurseryman. During the past 30 years I have designed and planted my own gardens, with the help of my husband and assistant gardener Andy, in England, America and now in the Costa Brava, Spain. Although I have no formal gardening qualifications I have always had a desire to improve my knowledge of gardening, either through courses, lectures, garden visits or by listening to more experienced gardeners. My current garden on the Costa Brava is a terraced garden which consists of a rose garden, organic vegetable & fruit garden, Mediterranean dry garden, tropical garden and, most recently, a medicinal herbal garden which helps me in my work as a Nutritionist. We have decided to run the Catalonia Branch with a Core Group of experienced gardeners - Brian Constable, Jaume Rexach , Judy Tipple and myself – so if I cannot help you I am sure they will. We are also working in close alliance with the Mar i Murtra Botanical Gardens in Blanes, Costa Brava."
"Heredé mi pasión por la jardinería de mi madre que era un premio que cultiva rosas y mi abuelo que era un vivero con éxito. Durante los últimos 30 años he diseñado y plantado mis propios jardines, con la ayuda de mi esposo y asistente jardinero Andy, en Inglaterra, Estados Unidos y ahora en la Costa Brava, España. A pesar de que no tengo calificaciones formales jardinería siempre he tenido el deseo de mejorar mis conocimientos de jardinería, ya sea a través de cursos, conferencias, visitas de jardín o escuchar más jardineros con experiencia. Mi jardín actual de la Costa Brava es un jardín con terraza que consta de un jardín de rosas, hortalizas y frutas orgánicas, jardín mediterráneo seco, jardín tropical y, más recientemente, un jardín de plantas medicinales que me ayuda en mi trabajo como nutricionista. Hemos decidido ejecutar la Subdivisión de Cataluña con un grupo básico de los jardineros con experiencia - Brian Constable, Jaume Rexach, Judy Tipple y yo - por lo que si no puedo ayudarte estoy segura que lo harán. También estamos trabajando en estrecha alianza con los jardines de Mar i Murtra Botánico de Blanes, Costa Brava."
"Vaig heretar la meva passió per la jardineria de la meva mare que era un premi que cultiva roses i el meu avi que era un viver amb èxit. Durant els últims 30 anys he dissenyat i plantat els meus propis jardins, amb l'ajuda del meu marit i assistent jardiner Andy, a Anglaterra, Estats Units i ara a la Costa Brava, Espanya. Tot i que no tenen qualificacions formals jardineria sempre he tingut el desig de millorar els meus coneixements de jardineria, ja sigui a través de cursos, conferències, visites de jardí o escoltar més jardiners amb experiència. El meu jardí actual de la Costa Brava és un jardí amb terrassa que consta d'un jardí de roses, hortalisses i fruites orgàniques jardí, jardí mediterrani sec, jardí tropical i, més recentment, un jardí de plantes medicinals que m'ajuda en el meu treball com a nutricionista. Hem decidit executar la Subdivisió de Catalunya amb un grup bàsic dels jardiners amb experiència - Brian Constable, Jaume Rexach, Judy Tipple i jo - pel que si no puc ajudar-te estic segur que ho faran. També estem treballant en estreta aliança amb els jardins de Mar i Murtra Botànic de Blanes, Costa Brava."
|
