A customer has seen this on the beach and asks if it's Cerinthe major
purpurescens. It's not but Ray, who has had it and lost it, can't remember
what it is! If anyone knows and/or knows of a supplier, we can help our
customer find it. TIA.

http://i27.tinypic.com/2zew41j.jpg

--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon

Sacha writes
A customer has seen this on the beach and asks if it's Cerinthe major
purpurescens. It's not but Ray, who has had it and lost it, can't remember
what it is! If anyone knows and/or knows of a supplier, we can help our
customer find it. TIA.

http://i27.tinypic.com/2zew41j.jpg

Oyster plant, Mertensia maritima?
--
Kay

It is Mertensia maritima (Oyster Plant) Sacha. Nice thing to see
growing by the sea, although you need to travel to Scotland to see it
at its most plentiful. Strangely, it is also found around my local
beaches (Babbacombe, Redgate and Meadfoot) and I've seen it growing at
Slapton Sands.

On 7/7/08 17:38, in article
, "Dave
Poole" wrote:

It is Mertensia maritima (Oyster Plant) Sacha. Nice thing to see
growing by the sea, although you need to travel to Scotland to see it
at its most plentiful. Strangely, it is also found around my local
beaches (Babbacombe, Redgate and Meadfoot) and I've seen it growing at
Slapton Sands.

Thank you very much to you and to Kay. I'll email the customer and tell her
what it is and give her a few names from the Plant Finder. Ray says "it's a
bit of a softy"!

--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon

Sacha writes
On 7/7/08 17:38, in article
, "Dave
Poole" wrote:

It is Mertensia maritima (Oyster Plant) Sacha. Nice thing to see
growing by the sea, although you need to travel to Scotland to see it
at its most plentiful. Strangely, it is also found around my local
beaches (Babbacombe, Redgate and Meadfoot) and I've seen it growing at
Slapton Sands.

Thank you very much to you and to Kay. I'll email the customer and tell her
what it is and give her a few names from the Plant Finder. Ray says "it's a
bit of a softy"!

It's a member of the same family as gorget-me-not, borage, lungwort. You
can see the resemblance in the flower shape.
--
Kay

On 7/7/08 18:15, in article , "K"
wrote:

Sacha writes
On 7/7/08 17:38, in article
, "Dave
Poole" wrote:

It is Mertensia maritima (Oyster Plant) Sacha. Nice thing to see
growing by the sea, although you need to travel to Scotland to see it
at its most plentiful. Strangely, it is also found around my local
beaches (Babbacombe, Redgate and Meadfoot) and I've seen it growing at
Slapton Sands.

Thank you very much to you and to Kay. I'll email the customer and tell her
what it is and give her a few names from the Plant Finder. Ray says "it's a
bit of a softy"!

It's a member of the same family as gorget-me-not, borage, lungwort. You
can see the resemblance in the flower shape.

It's amazing you say this and has interested me so much. When Ray was
trying to remember the name I said "Chatham Island forget me not', even
though I knew this wasn't it. I thought it might just prod his memory into
action but it only produced a hiccup of recollection! As soon as you and
David wrote Mertensia I told Ray and of course, memory being what it is, he
said "That's IT". So annoying to have lost his plants some time ago but it
does look such a pretty thing. The person enquiring about it lives in
Oxford so I can't see it being too happy there. What do you think?
--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon

Sacha wrote:

The person enquiring about it lives in
Oxford so I can't see it being too happy there. What do you think?

Well it's essentially a maritime plant most often seen in the west
where it is milder. It would not cope with prolonged freezes and wet
soil so it's unlikely to take to Oxfordshire unless grown in a scree-
like environment with a mulch of grit around the crown. I wouldn't
describe it as especially tender, but it does prefer a combination of
dryness around the crown with access to moisture.

On 8/7/08 16:59, in article
, "Dave
Poole" wrote:

Sacha wrote:

The person enquiring about it lives in
Oxford so I can't see it being too happy there. What do you think?

Well it's essentially a maritime plant most often seen in the west
where it is milder. It would not cope with prolonged freezes and wet
soil so it's unlikely to take to Oxfordshire unless grown in a scree-
like environment with a mulch of grit around the crown. I wouldn't
describe it as especially tender, but it does prefer a combination of
dryness around the crown with access to moisture.

I've passed this sort of information on so now it's up to her.
Unfortunately, we can't supply it so if she does get it, I hope it works for
her.

--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon

Sacha writes
On 7/7/08 18:15, in article , "K"
wrote:

It's amazing you say this and has interested me so much. When Ray was
trying to remember the name I said "Chatham Island forget me not', even
though I knew this wasn't it. I thought it might just prod his memory into
action but it only produced a hiccup of recollection! As soon as you and
David wrote Mertensia I told Ray and of course, memory being what it is, he
said "That's IT". So annoying to have lost his plants some time ago but it
does look such a pretty thing. The person enquiring about it lives in
Oxford so I can't see it being too happy there. What do you think?

It's habitat is coastal shingle. So you'd need to be able to replicate
that.
--
Kay

On 8/7/08 20:43, in article , "K"
wrote:

Sacha writes
On 7/7/08 18:15, in article , "K"
wrote:

It's amazing you say this and has interested me so much. When Ray was
trying to remember the name I said "Chatham Island forget me not', even
though I knew this wasn't it. I thought it might just prod his memory into
action but it only produced a hiccup of recollection! As soon as you and
David wrote Mertensia I told Ray and of course, memory being what it is, he
said "That's IT". So annoying to have lost his plants some time ago but it
does look such a pretty thing. The person enquiring about it lives in
Oxford so I can't see it being too happy there. What do you think?

It's habitat is coastal shingle. So you'd need to be able to replicate
that.


Hmmmm. Not likely for her in Oxford, then. ;-(
--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon