Was finalising the stockcheck of bed 435-03 today, which is Spirea central. This is one of the tidier beds, with plants well within their own boundaries for the great part. But a couple of the labels on the Spireas got mixed up, so I had to undertake a bit of investigative work.

Internet at the ready, I started to observe the plants. Luckily, most are flowering or have dead flower heads still visible, because the leaves of Spiraea, albeit all different, are often only slightly so. The flowers are a bit easier to interpret. There are two main colours: white and pink (which is either pale or bright) and two main inflorescence types: corymb (flat) and panicle (pointed). At the very least you can spot whether a label matches the species’ combination of colour and inflorescence type or not, in which case the plant might need verification.

And that way I found a pink panicle Spiraea that was carrying a white corymb one. And also found a mix of pink and white flowers in the same shrub, which, after a good look at the leaves, told me that some suckering shrub had expanded into their neighbour. All the notes I am taking are going into my stock check, which I hope will help my colleagues restore the beds to their glory.

S. crenata

They are starting to grow on me, Spiraea, and some are really lovely, such as the S. crenata in the picture, with white flowers, dentate obovate leaves that become dark green when mature, and reddish stems. It originates from the Caucasus and is not suckering.

S. chamaedryfolia ‘Transiens’

Or even the suckering S. chamaedryfolia ‘Transiens’ with white flowers and larger, dentate ellliptic leaves, more similar to a Neillia or a Kerria.

Here are a few more – enjoy.

S. virginiana

S. x fontenaysii

S. formosana

S. betulifolia

S. douglasii var. menziesii

S. nipponica

S. japonica var. acuminata

S. micrantha

I have spent the last two days dealing with a massive plant of Prunus laurocerasus I had my eyes on since shortly after I started on the South Canal beds.

Bed 437-02, as it is known to the Kew-initiated, had two massive prostrate species of Prunus: laurocerasus and laurocerasus var. salicifolia. We had tackled the P. salicifolia with the 3rd year student earlier in the season, which took a little more than a day but was very satisfying to do.

Prunus laurocerasus var. salicifolia after pruning

The other day, after talking to my manager, who mentioned we should cut back all the plants that are straying into the grass, so that sward can mow the lawn without obstacles, I decided to give the other Prunus a go on my own, even though it was a bit daunting. It was useful in order to finish once and for all my stocktaking of the bed as well (I have already done the preliminary round here).

It took me two days, with the exception of some time spent weeding, and I still need to tidy up and rake the dead leaves away.

It was, in fact, a massive task, some 5 load-fulls went to the compost heap, and stems up to 15 cm had to be cut with a saw, so that I am pretty tired at the moment, but it looks so much better now: it’s airy all around and no more Spirea are swallowed by the Prunus‘ overgrown branches – I’m proud of it and tonight I showed it to a friend that came visiting (poor thing, putting up with all my excitement for these plants, their shape and health!).

I forgot to take “before” pictures, except a couple, but do imagine it extended all the way into the Spiraeas on all sides… it was such a large area that I did not even manage to take proper panorama pictures!

Before, internal side

After, internal side

Before, external side (note also the intruder Aesculus weed grown to considerable size)

After, external side

An overview of the end result, external side of the bed (slightly deformed pic)

Panorama of the internal side of the bed (click to enlarge)

P. laurocesarus is a plant I know well, as both my parents and auntie had it as a hedge all around their houses, and I have grown up with it. It is a very tough evergreen plant, whose leaves are very resistant to decay, and it grows so thick that it shades anything out. The one I tackled formed such a dense mat that it provided shelter for a range of wildlife: a badger sett and two old birds’ nests is what I found… and I suspect there’s more under the huge plant that is still left!

One thing that I did not remember from growing up, and that made me curious was that the stems I had cut were easily ringbarked, as the bark (epidermis + phloem) peeled off, leaving a rather smooth, and sticky, xylem surface. The phloem, on the other hand, was spongy and reticulate.

Ringbarking P. laurocerasus: xylem, phloem & epidermis

Phloem meshy tissue

Phloem tissue: layers visible

Only four weeks to go, now, and still so much to do…

It seems that most horticultural traineeships/apprenticeships are applied to in January for an August start. That means that July in the final month for the participants in the schemes and today three of our trainees have gone. I will miss them, we had a good time together!

Other than that, today too I’ve been working hard on the stock-checking project, for as much as it is compatible with watering in this prolonged drought.

As I mentioned before, I work over 6 beds, maybe 100sqm each, arranged as a square and on all the trees that are enclosed by them. Hose pipes are quite heavy to carry around, let alone the sprinklers, and as you know I have been on my own this week; besides, I have had no use of the tractor of late. 

Watering entails that you put down all the sprinklers in the morning… 

… and that you take them away and tidy up at night; not every night, especially in a drought when you may leave the tap on, but certainly before a weekend, as it would not be safe or pleasant for visitors to have to negotiate their way through pipes and sprinklers, especially outside of the beds.

Kids seem to love to move them around and get wet, their parents mostly encouraging (who doesn’t like a bit of fresh water in this hot weather?!?), but it is not safe as that is not drinking water we use for watering plants!

But in the time remaining, I have again worked on freeing up a few shrubs from their overgrown neighbours so next week I can check the plants in the bed. Physocarpus opulifolius was my main target today, as one of the specimens had grown over, shading them out, at least 4 shrubs.

A lovely plant, with curving branches and leaves similar to Ribes; creamy white flowers in corymbs, loved by  bees, appear in June and then turn into inflated capsules from green to orange-red.

The common name for it is “ninebark” presumably because the pretty reddish bark peels off.

Anyway, it’s a lovely plant but suckers large and wide, besides self-seeding quite profusely, so I was glad my colleague Nick brought me a skip… that’s the final result in the pictures.

It has been considerably more time consuming than expected, stock-checking, but I am still confident I can finish it… although I am not quite sure about the overgrown Cotoneaster bed I have never even had a look at so far…