Little Gem, Arisaema speciosa

Two good little stories came out of yesterday. I walked as usual first thing then checked for email about 8.00am, enjoying a mint tea. I was sending a cross fingers message of hope to Lib's cousin Druscilla in California, re the U.S. election in a couple of days, when the phone rang.

It was my friend 'Hughsey' at his croaky best. "Do you have access to "gem magnolia. Daughter Jenny, florist in Noosa Queensland, has been on the phone, she needs some for a wedding she's doing next Saturday. She's tried her wholesalers, they say it's unavailable at the moment."

"I think you mean 'Little Gem' magnolia foliage Allan. It'd be unavailable now because it's in new growth which would be too soft for use. It'd just wilt. How much does she want?"

"I don't know. How about I get her to ring you?"

"No worries mate."

I finished my one line email to Druscilla concluding, "God bless y'all."

The phone rang again. Jenny. "The bride must have 'Little Gem' magnolia foliage, she wants the smaller grandiflora leaves with the brown backing, it's of special significance, something to do with her father who died recently."

"There's been strong demand for 'Little Gem' down here. I don't have any growing. I have the normal grandiflora, I thought Little Gem would be a flash in the pan thing and ignored it. I tell you what though, I know a lady who has a one in her back yard. I cleaned out her overgrown garden for her in the winter, but I didn't cut the 'Little Gem', thinking it may come in handy later, but then forgot all about it till just now. It may be that it's been slow to grow, not having been cut before. I'll have a look later today. How much do you need?"

"Five bunches would get me out of trouble."

I was pleased to be able to ring her back later saying there was 4 and a half bunches and it was quite good quality, not perfect, but not bad. She was greatly relieved. We arranged that I'd take it to the farm and she'd have 'Ultimate Florist Connect' pick it up and send it to Noosa for her.

"How much do I owe you? I'll get dad to pay you cash."

"No charge Jenny, if it goes off alright you can get dad to give me a bottle of wine for Xmas."

In my post last Sunday I complained about the non appearance of the forecast rain. Well it did come, it started very gently about 5.30pm while I was in next door having a drink with Tom and Kath. We sat on their deck and watched it. There was 20ml in the gauge next morning and showers continued on and off yesterday, not enough to make me wear a raincoat while working, but sufficient to catch me out away from the van and get me wet.

I was cold and bedraggled with a painful right shoulder arriving at the farm with some good booty late in the day. With Tuesday (today) being the Cup Day holiday, one of our customers cancelled, and I was looking forward to a quiet day. It turned out not to be so as Shane (Titen Flowers) gave us an order for rosemary, bay, cumquats and whatever rhodie I could find. For reasons of seasonal timing and exhausting supplies it was all difficult. We've been scrounging for rosemary for weeks. I went into the post office to ask the girls if they had a bush at home that I could prune. Mark Tobin, who lives at Sunset where I pick laurel from the hedge, was at the counter. "You don't happen to have a rosemary bush at home do you Mark?"

"Yes we do, quite a few, around that glasshouse we put up down the back. It needs cutting back. Help yourself."

It was the most beautiful rosemary you'd ever see and I easily picked what I needed, almost 3 feet tall, a huge contrast to the scrappy stuff I've been using. It knocked the socks of 'em at the farm.

I had a whinge to Meredith about my crook shoulder and wet clothes and she said, "I've got something to show you that'll make you feel better." She went outside and came back with a plant in a 6 inch pot about 18 inches high. "Do you remember about 5 years ago you came in with some seeds, sort of soft and red, and gave them to me saying a lady gave them to you and said that they are well worth growing? This is the first time I've seen a flower."

"Do you know what it is?"

"Yes. Arisaema speciosa. For years I didn't, I was getting sick of looking after them, not knowing what they were or what to do with them. I took one across the road and Coral knew it was an arisaema of some sort, she collects them. I gave her six plants, I still had ten. Now that I've seen it in flower, I can tell from the book that it's 'speciosa'. It has that six inch long strand coming out of the flower and the red tinge around the leaves. It's quite rare."

I admit my knowledge of tuberous perennials is sparse, it's not been an area of interest for me. But I'm tickled pink. I only wish I could remember who gave me the seeds so I could thank them. For the record, the Reader's Digest encyclopedia says of arisaema-

"Genus of tuberous perennials grown for their large, curious, hooded spathes, each enclosing a pencil-shaped spadix. Forms spikes of fleshy red fruits before plant dies down. Fully to half hardy. Needs sun or partial shade and humous-rich soil. Plant tubers 15cm deep in spring. Propogate by seed in autumn or spring or by offsets in spring."

(Post script-- added after the running of the cup. I had a tip from an erudite punter to back Newport ridden by Chris Symons. I had $5 each way. It's easy after the event, but I should've known to back Bart Cummings. Viewed gave him his 12th Melbourne Cup, at age 80. Fantastic!)