News
Sharon Horder joins Tours Committee
Sharon Horder, who was elected to the Management Committee in 2024, joined the Tours Committee this year. She has attended one meeting so far and will be at the committee’s next meeting on 19 June. Her background has recently been in horticulture at two Oxford college gardens (Merton and Wadham) though now she divides her time in different roles. Sharon has also helped over an extended period in putting reports and other information on the Mediterranean Plants and Gardens website.
Melvyn Jope
Founding member and great contributor to MPG Melvyn Jope died on Saturday 1 March after a short illness. Melvyn was a keen and knowledgeable plantsman with a special interest in Cyclamen and Galanthus. The funeral will be on Thursday 20 March. Click here for details and the condolences page. Readers can see a recording of one of Melvyn’s talks to MPG here.
PHS: “Gardens of Tomorrow”
MPG thanks Jacques Amand LLC for giving our members the chance to book for early entry on the first day of the Chelsea Flower Show in late May. Today sees Jacques Amand at the first day of the Philadelphia Flower Show which runs through to next weekend. The image shows part of their exhibit there, with stunning Hippeastrum (amaryllis) display.
Beautiful almond trees lost
The beauty and scent of almond blossom at this time of year is legendary. We thank Lesley Jones, manager of MPG’s Facebook page, for the image, taken in the Jalon Valley, Alicante, Spain, this month. Lesley reports that many almond trees have been cut down there in recent years because of infestation by the destructive bacterial disease Xylella fastidiosa which also attacks olives, citruses, grapevines, herbs and ornamental plants. BeXyl Project is working to improve the situation. See bexylproject.org/about-bexyl-project
Elba: flash floods
The main ferry port on the island of Elba, the destination for MPG’s next expedition in the Mediterranean, suffered devastating floods last night after 65mm of rain fell in just one hour. Dozens of people were stranded in Portoferraio, cars were swept off course and some stranded in mud, and the Italian Civil Protection Unit and firefighters were mobilised from the mainland.
New edition of Arum book
The third edition of Aroids – Plants of the Arum Family is the work of long-standing MPG member Deni Bown who lives in Spain. The definitive feature of the family is that its members have compound inflorescences, formed of a fleshy central column (a spadix) of many tightly packed flowers. The spadix is usually surrounded by a brightly coloured spathe (a highly modified leaf). Not all aroid species have spathes, but all have spadixes. Various examples are often seen on MPG trips, A. italicum for example, often in olive groves. Deni’s book is available on pre-order from Kew Books, Amazon and other outlets.