Star Wars & Yeates
31 March 2011 20:45:30
My daughter & 'Star Wars' 23rd May 2010
The shopping needed doing so I headed for Enniscorthy this morning. On the spur of the moment, I detoured to Clonroche, just to have a look at what Coolaught Nurseries have new in stock.
In fact, I knew that Coolaught was stocking those new Irish Kennedy primroses so I resolved to get myself the 'Drumcliffe' one. My husband's ancestors come from Drumcliffe and are buried in the same graveyard as W.B. Yeates so that was a good excuse. I was buying a pressie for hubby, not beguiled by the pretty white flowers on bronze foliage! I was pleased to see Coolaught had them for €4.50 each.
Of course, I had to have a look around although the nursery is not the best for that sort of thing as they have loads of goodies tucked away where you'd never find them. I got chatting and was asked if I was looking for anything in particular. Well, although I hadn't been looking for anything more than the primrose, I found myself uttering the words Magnolia x 'Star Wars'.
It is always dangerous asking for specific plants in Coolaught because they usually produce them and, sure enough, a grand sized 'Star Wars' was produced and, before I knew what I was doing, I was tucking it in my car. Actually, Caroline was good enough to put it in for me as I usually demonstrate total eejitry at such manoeuvres.
I am very pleased with my new tree. I saw Magnolia x 'Star Wars' for the first time in the Bay Garden in Camolin in May 2010. The flowers are absolutely enormous and I remember being told how everyone always asks about that tree.
I have no idea why it is called 'Star Wars' but there seems to be a sci-fi theme in some Magnolia varieties as I saw one called 'Vulcan' and what about 'Wada's Memory'? I'm sure Wada must be from Star Wars too!
Home again I felt invigorated by my purchase and went out for a spot of gardening. I got 10 Thalictrum delavayi planted and one bed almost completely mulched and watered, which wasn't bad for such a late start.