49 members were present to listen to our speaker Colin Moat of PineView Plants whose talk was

entitled ’50 greys of shade’. Colin’s colourful slide presentation highlighted his love of all shade loving plants and detailed his admitted ‘obsession’ with the genre!

His ‘Top 10’ of Bulbs/Corms/Roots

Narcissus Jenny/Jumbillie/Pippit

Lillies Cardiocrinum /Martagon/Nectaroscordum including the Himalayan Lilly which takes up to 7 years to flower!

Galanthus+Leucojum One variety fetched £1,390 for a single bulb last year!

Eranthis hyamelis, over 40 varieties to choose from.

Cyclamen hederifolum & coum. The foliage is sometimes just as attractive as the flowers.

Arum italicum marmoratum. slugs avoid them!

Anemone nemerosa (& blanda) blues, pale lilacs pretty tough plants.

Erythronium dens-canis/tuolumnense ‘White Beauty’+ Pagoda

Fritillaria meleagris. Doesn’t always need damp soil.

Trillium erectum/chlorupetalum/vasey/cuneatum/lutem/grandiflorum/pusillum + Arisaema+Colchicum+Hyacinthoides non-scripta (Bluebells)

Top 10 Ground Cover Plants

Geranium (includes magnificum/nodosum/macrorrhizum/phaenum/pratense)

Any Bergenia + cilata + Overture. Can also grow in full sun.

Epimedium orangekonigin + fargesii + versicolor + sulphureum + grsndiflorum + warleysense + pink champagne + amber queen.

Ajuga ‘Burgundy Glow’ + ‘Catlin’s Giant’ + ‘Purple Torch’ + ‘Metallica Crispa’ + ‘Black Scallop’

Ompphalodes verna + ‘Starry Eyes’ + ‘Cherry Ingram’

Brunnera maculatum ‘Jack Frost’ + ‘Looking Glass’ + ‘Mr Morse’

Pulmonaria ‘Ice Ballet’ + ‘Cotton Cool’ + ‘Diana Clare’ + ‘Stillingfleet Meg’ + ‘Dora Bielefeld’ + ‘Blue Ensign’.

Vinca minor ‘illumination’

Hosta ‘June’ + ‘Blue Moon’ + ‘Junco’

Heuchera ‘Obisidian’ + ‘Venus’ + ‘Tiarella’ + ‘Heucherella’.

Top 10 Stars Bombproof/Long Interest

Helleborus x hybridus + foetidus + argutifolius.

Convallaria majalis + rosea = ‘Vic Pawlowski’s Gold + Bordeaux’

Polygonatum x hybridum + ‘Betburg’

Aquilegia various hybrids. Greatly affected in 2021 with mildew.

Euphobia amygdaloides var.robbiae + dulcis ‘Chameleon’ + griffithii Dixter

Astrantia major ‘shaggy’ + Star of Fire’ + ‘Roma’ + ‘Venus’

Digitalis purpurea ‘Anne Redetzky’ + lanata + lutea + ferruginea + mertonensis

Lamium maculatum ‘White Nancy’ + ‘Pink Pearls’ + ‘orvala’ ‘Album’

Viola cornuta + odorata + ‘Hearthrob’ + ‘Duchesse de Parma’

Anemone hupehensis ‘Honoreine de Jobert’ + ‘Richard Ahrens’ + ‘Bodnant Burgundy’ + ‘Konigin Charlotte’

For further information you can contact Colin at : colin@pineviewplants.co.uk or visit the website:

http://www.pineviewplants.co.uk

Our next meeting is on December 7 when our speaker will be George Lockwood an organic gardener

who will talk about ‘creating structure with evergreens’. Followed by a glass of wine and mince pies!