Rendez-vous aux Jardins - 30, 31 May, 1 June 2008 : "Travelling Plants"

Travelling Plants

After the glacial era, the European flora was extremely depleted; many plants had totally disappeared.
Continually, since then, plants returned often from the East by way of the Middle East, the Balkans, and Italy. Many were transported by voyagers, missionaries, explorers and botanists - latterly English and American but before them, French, Russian, or Dutch. In fact the first Europeans had followed the same route.

From the 18th Century, new plants were introduced from the Americas. Today increasing numbers of exotic, tropical, and semi-tropical plants travel around the world, often traded by the Dutch.

However, it is not enough to send plants on travels to ensure that they grow well in new places.
To return to our Ilex (Holly) …

•  Our native European Holly reacts very poorly in North America, except in the Pacific North West where it becomes an invader.
•  Over here inEurope, we have a lot of difficulties getting American Holly to adapt to our conditions (even hybrid varieties such as attentata).
•  The Chinese Holly (cornuta) grows much less well here than in America.
•  Some Chinese species (pedunculosa, rotunda) are difficult to multiply oro to cultivate.
•  The Canaries Holly was not very rustic in Europe but thanks to the work by Flemish growers in the 19th Century, about fifty hybrids were developed with our native wild Holly, which are very resistant to our colder climate.
•  At the first exhibition of Hollies in Europe was held at Boskoop, in the Netherlands, in 1878, a hundred varieties were shown.
•  Most of the new varieties have been developed by Americans in the last half-Century.

click : travelling plants | summary of Ilex | horticultural uses of Ilex | the Yville trial gardens | the Holly collection at Yville