The MGS Forum
Miscellaneous => Miscellaneous => Topic started by: Hilary on February 17, 2022, 10:17:02 AM
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I am in the process of scanning postcards which were sent to me by a friend who used to go on exotic holidays, or so it seemed to me, around the world and in the USA where she lived. Some of the cards might be of interest to gardeners
Today the card was
1990 NOVEMBER, MOROCCO
The information on the back of the card writes
MAROC INFINI - REGION DE MARRAKECH
Le charmant village d’IMLIL
(altitude 2,500m sur la piste du TOUKAL)
Then I remembered that
THE MEDITERRANEAN GARDEN SOCIETY had organized an excursion in 2015 and found the account in THE MEDITERRANEAN GARDEN number 81, July 2015
THE MEDITERRANEAN GARDEN SOCIETY TOUR OF MOROCCO,
MARCH 2015:
A PERSONAL ACCOUNT
By Valerie Whittington
The article and photographs can be found here
http://www.mediterraneangardensocietyarchive.org/ex-morocco.html
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The excursion to Morocco in 2015 was a sort of overflow trip as the original visit in 2014 had been oversubscribed. Not surprisingly as who could resist such names as Marrakech, Casablanca, Rabat, Atlas Mts, etc, etc. I haven't checked but I don't recall any of us on the 2014 trip writing about it unfortunately.
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I think you wrote about the tip to Morocco but I was in a hurry yesterday and didn't take the time to look for it
Apparently there is also another account of the trip to Morocco on the Crete Branch page
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An account of the 2015 visit to Morocco was written by Rosemary Thomas and to be found on the Crete branch website.
Unfortunately the articles before 2018 do not seem to be available
Also I distinctly remember a discussion we had about the Cascade s d'Ouzoud which I cannot find either
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1988 JUNE
PEMBROKESHIRE COASTAL PATH, DYFED, WALES
Foxgloves in the foreground and the sea and an island in the background
Foxgloves are mentioned in several issues of THE MEDITERRANEAN GARDEN
I chose
BEAUTIFUL BELVEDERE:
A MEDITERRANEAN GARDEN
IN MARIN COUNTY
By E. Kirsten Honeyman
THE MEDITERRANEAN GARDEN number 74, October 2013
For photographs (of this article) see THE MEDITERRANEAN GARDEN SOCIETY website
http://www.mediterraneangardensocietyarchive.org/74-belvedere.html
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SWITZERLAND 1975
ALPINE FLOWERS
]Soldanella alpica
Gentiana kochiana
Rhododendron ferrugineum
Leontopodium alpinum
Primula auricula
Rhanunculus glacialis
Anemone vernalis
Primula auriculata is mentioned in FLOWERS IN GEORGIA
By Katharine Fedden
THE MEDITERRANEAN GARDEN
Number 72, April 2013
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1999 CHRISTMAS
A Christmas card from my friend living in the USA
The card features a Cardinal bird sitting among Silver Birch trees.
Silver Birch, Betula pendula is mentioned in
AGM 2008, MONTEREY:
IMPRESSIONS AND MEMORIES II
By Jean Vache
THE MEDITERRANEAN GARDEN number 55, January 2009
Photographs illustrating the article can be found here
http://www.mediterraneangardensocietyarchive.org/55-agm2.html
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I remembered that I have sent posts illustrated by postcards in the past.
These posts are scattered around various threads of The Forum so I will try to find them and re post them here on this thread.
This post dates from February 20th 2015
Acacia dealbata
Another old postcard which was sent in 1982
On the back it writes
" ACADEMIE PROVENCALE
DE CANNES
Section de Basse - Provence
Cueillette du Mimosa"
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A post dated September 4th 2020
Gladiolus tristis
A postcard sent to me by Sally in February this year
The photo by Davina Michaelides shows one of the plants growing in Sparoza garden
This very plant is mentioned in
REMEMBERING A GARDEN ON A GREEK HILLSIDE- SPAROZA 1979-80:
PART 4 SPRING
By Graham Kendall
THE MEDITERRANEAN GARDEN number 97, July 2019
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Snowdrops at Ingham Church
Photograph by Mrs. I Thomas, Brislee, W.I.
Published by Northumberland Federation of Women’s Institutes
My cousin used to send me a calendar each year featuring photos of buildings and views of Northumberland. The calendar was produced in such a way that the photo could be detached and used as a postcard
Snowdrops are mentioned in many issues of THE MEDITERRANEAN GARDEN
I chose to read today
A SMALL GARDEN IN MELBOURNE
by Caroline Davies
THE MEDITERRANEAN GARDEN number 11, Winter 1997/8
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Malaucene, Vaucluse, France
The photo on the postcard must have been taken in the spring with the yellow flowers in the foreground.
I thought the plants might be Broom, a friend of mine thought they were Forsythia
And since I have the scans, the information on the back of the card and the
French postage stamp
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The original post on 22nd February 2015
This postcard was sent to my father in law in 1964 from his penfriend in New Zealand.
The flowers are numbered and named as
1 Mountain Lily
2 Pohutukawa
3 Clematis
4 Puriri
5 Mountain Daisy
6 Kowhai
& Fuchsia
8 Manuka
9 Honeysuckle
10 Kaka Beak
11 Edelweiss
12 Senecio
13 Blue Bell
14 Rata
And an informative reply from Caroline the next day
Quite a mixed bag of plants, from small alpines to forest trees. Many of the names given to them by the early settlers are misleading. In the order in which they are listed:
Mountain lily- Ranunculus lyallii- must be a beautiful sight in flower as it can grow to one meter high.
Pohutukawa -Metrosdieros excelsa - many of you saw the photo which featured on the Facebook page at Christmas
Clematis - Clematis paniculata - climbs through the bush and flowers in early spring (I posted photos)
Puriri -Vitex lucens - a very handsome tree which attracts the native pigeon or kereru
Kowhai - Sophora tetraptera and microphylla Described by Hugo Latymer as a "whispy tree" - clearly he had never seen a well-grown one in full flower.
Fuchsia- I think this must be Fuchsia excortica which is a tree fuchsia, the largest of the genus. NZ also has a creeping Fuchsia - Fuchsia procumbens - which has blue pollen - very striking!
Manuka -Leptospermum scoparium -a shrubby tree which used to be regarded as a weed, but since the properties of manuka honey were discovered, it is now more valued. There are some lovely cultivars with red or pink flowers rather than the standard white
"Honeysuckle" - this description is what made me hit the keyboard, as this is a large and elegant tree , Knightia excelsa
Kaka beak - Clianthus puniceus - has beautiful red flowers which look like the beaks of the native parrot or kaka. Now very rare in the wild but widely cultivated
"Edelweiss" - there are two species known as edelweiss - Leucogenes grandiceps and leontopodium. neither of them are easy to grow
Senecio- I think this must be what used to be Senecio greyii now Brachyglottis . A coastal toughie
Blue Bell - Wahelnbergia but I don't know which one as there are about 10 species native to NZ
Rata - Metrosideros robusta - another giant, more of a forest dweller than the pohutukawa
All very confusing...
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Flathead Lake, Montana
A scan of the postcard and information on the back
Trying to find some connection to Mediterranean plants I found a great article about the Lake and the surrounding area with all the trees and plants named with both their Latin names and common names.
Luckily I found that Symphoricarpos alba grows in this area and is a plant mentioned in several articles of the Journal
CLOSE ENCOUNTERS WITH WILDLIFE
By Katherine Greenberg
THE MEDITERRANEAN GARDEN number 101, July 2020
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Garmisch -Partenkirchen, Riessersee
The flowers in the foreground appear to be lilies.
Lilies are mentioned in
GARDENS OF GREECE IN ANTIQUITY
AND IN MODERN TIMES:
A BRIEF OVERVIEW
By Stelios Deverakis
THE MEDITERRANEAN GARDEN number 105, July 2021
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PUSSY WILLOW
Salix caprae, goat willow tree
Salix discolor, American pussy willow
Among my father in law's collection of old postcards there is a series of Easter cards all depicting Pussy willow in some part of the picture
Pussy willow is mentioned twice in THE MEDITERRANEAN GARDEN
the article I chose to read has the Pussy willow tree in the American section of the garden
JERUSALEM’S BOTANICAL GARDENS
By Michael Avishai
THE MEDITERRANEAN GARDEN number 72, April 2013
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ΚΑΛΟ ΠΑΣΧΑ, GOOD EASTER
An old postcard from my father-in- law’s collection
Daffodils are mentioned in many issues of THE MEDITERRANEAN GARDEN
I chose to read
From the President:
THE FOUR SEASONS
by Alisdair Aird
THE MEDITERRANEAN GARDEN number 83, January 2016
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ENGLISH WATERSIDE BIRDS
A postcard designed by Mildred Eldridge 1909 - 1991
Depicting
Reed Buntings
Kingfisher
Wagtail
Dipper
Spink
The Kingfisher is described at length in HALCYON DAYS by Cali Doxiadis
THE MEDITERRANEAN GARDEN number 48, April 2007
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A postcard from the island of Chios depicting the Masticha bush, Pistacia lentiscus
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Sissinghurst
A postcard sent to me in 2018 depicting the Spring Garden or Lime walk which ‘was Harold Nicolson’s domaine’
Sissinghurst is mentioned several times in
THE MEDITERRANEAN GARDEN usually as an example of garden design to be admired and followed
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A postcard depicting a tree breeding station near Sabie, South Africa.
The postcard must be 50 to 60 years old but it seems that the town of Sabie in South Africa is still a forestry town
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Wisteria
A postcard sent to me a while ago depicting a Wisteria covered cottage in the Lake District, U.K.
As you can imagine Wisteria is mentioned in many issues of
THE MEDITERRANEAN GARDEN
I chose to read A MEDITERRANEAN GARDEN IN NORTH DEVON
by Alasdair Forbes
THE MEDITERRANEAN GARDEN number 18 Autumn 1999
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WESTERHAM, 17th June 2023
A postcard sent to me via my daughter
The photographs are by Caz
Many thanks