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and still important C. saluensis can be seen, against a building which has since rather ignobly become the ladies' loo).
Caerhays also had, for me, the most unusual side-light on the business of importing oriental plants: in the Castle itself there is a collection of Chinese blue and white porcelain, bought at the behest of Veitch's Nurseries (for whom Ernest Wilson collected plants in China between 1899 and 1905) in order to show its clients the plants painted in their Chinese settings!
We were guided around Caerhays by the Head Gardener, Jamie Parsons, whose tour was a hugely impressive mix of information about rare plants, and the science and practicality of running a large and important garden. His tour provided the most comprehensive range of oriental trees and shrubs of all the gardens we visited, thanks to the quality of the Caerhays collection, and to the amount of time he gave us despite the demands of his work.
Amongst other things, he is engaged in working on the historic records of the gardens, much helped by a garden diary stretching back over some 100 years, and in identifying the many hybrids found in the garden. He sends away slips of material from rare specimens to a specialist centre in Switzerland for grafting, in order to ensure their survival. He battles with lichen, which will swamp and kill azaleas, rabbits which can ringbark (and kill) a magnolia overnight; with replanting the 150 acres of woodland largely felled by storms and hurricanes in recent years, and with the third biggest pest in gardens' (after rabbits and deer); human beings stealing plant labels.
We also learned, sadly, that these gardens are finding it increasingly difficult to find people to come and work in them: a recent advertisement by Caerhays produced no candidates at all, despite offering accommodation. When one sees how much (often heavy) work has to be done by ever smaller teams of staff, it is understandable perhaps, but - as we learned - there can be few gardens which are more important to the future of oriental plants, in the West. We wish them well for the future. Perhaps there are RAS members looking for an energetic new career after leaving Hong Kong, helping to maintain this marvellous oriental heritage?
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