Library

Back to Wisley last week, to return Hageneder on yew. Then, having ascertained that one can return any book to any library, in particular the one at Vincent Square, I took out Pavord on tulip, a book I nearly bought when it came out in 1999 and have nearly bought subsequently when it started to turn up in charity shops. A rather fatter and more substantial book than the yew book, although very much the same sort of thing, full of all kinds of interesting facts and factlets. But nothing on the botany or the gardening of tulips, more a history of our fascination with them. For example, the Dublin Florists' Society was founded by three Huguenot officers who had fought for King William at the Battle of the Boyne. With a florist being an amateur of flowers rather than a shopkeeper. Sadly, this club appears to have closed, and the best that google can do is reference 1, illustrated above.

On into the gardens where we found lots of ornamental grasses and some nice old roses, the ones with flowers more like those of dog roses than the modern floribundas.

Strolled down to the river walk with the swing seats. We decided that despite their clearly being expensive seats, they would be much improved by the addition of a foot rest below the seat and a pull with which to swing the seat. We pondered about whether what appeared to be dowels really were dowels, rather than little caps to cover screw heads, and settled for dowels on the grounds that little caps would not long very long out in the weather. See reference 2 for a picture.

Round into the pinetum which was very quiet and peaceful. Right through to the end where we came across a training allotment garden, used by those taking courses of one kind or another at Wisley. There were some interesting plants and vegetables, also a basket of marrows from which we were invited to help ourselves. So we now had a middle sized marrow as well as a middle sized book to carry about the gardens.

Tour around the big glass house, mainly to inspect the aloes and such like, but also to find an impressive display of leafy begonias, leafy in the sense that the leaves were much more interesting that the flowers. Probably begonia rex.

Snack lunch in the nearby cafe, usually full of noisy young families, but not on this occasion. I took a variety of chicken Caesar salad in a clear plastic box. Good, but dear, and supplemented with a respectable rock cake. We admired the small trees in tubs outside, trained to the shape of sunshades, which perhaps, in due course, is what they would be.

On exit, greeted by a huge Occado lorry whizzing down the A3 to London, looking from the back like a rather tall furniture lorry. Split level affair, as attested by google. From whom I learn that Alamy seemed to have cornered the market in images of same. Although oddly, going to the horse' mouth, that is to say reference 3, searching for them doesn't seem to work at all. Maybe google really are best at searching.

Reference 1: The Dublin Florists' Club in the Mid Eighteenth Century - E. Charles Nelson - 1982.

Reference 2: http://psmv3.blogspot.co.uk/2017/08/made-in-lyme-regis.html.

Reference 3: http://www.alamy.com/.

Group search key: wsf.