On 03/18/2010 10:30 PM, graham wrote:
Perhaps it's age, *mine*!! Claret doesn't smell like the clarets I drank in
my 30s {:-(


Sadly that's as likely the claret as your nose, Graham. Most claret
today is made for drinking within several years of production, not
laying down as before. This change is much remarked on in the wine
community.

cheers none the less!

-E

On 03/19/2010 05:38 PM, Sacha wrote:
For the OP's sake, though, these have survived at -22C (well probably a
little above that because of the wall). Though as we all know there's a
lot of difference between surviving and thriving!

And some do better than others. The one we know as the Salcombe
rosemary here - the very, very, very long one that trails on for ever,
is as tender as can be, as is R. Severn Seas. But R. Marenca has come
happily through the winter here in one wall and died off in another 3
feet away, in the same type of soil and height etc. I can only assume
that the dead one was not a good plant or that there's some little
pocket of water that collects underneath it. Anyway, it's now an
ex-rosemary.

Ah, many of us here remember the famous Salcombe rosemary. And the
accompanying "discussions" For sure there are a lot of varieties
that perform differently, though. I lived in San Francisco for a few
years, not too far from Ocean Beach, there were many rampant rosemaries,
not used in the kitchen and I'm sure not hardy here, but still wonderful
smelling when bruised.


The great advantage when the rosemary gets really big is you can use
huge amounts with impunity. We very often grill over a wood fire in the
big kitchen fireplace; adding some rosemary branches at the end will
cause the coals to flame up and smoke like crazy, which gives a
wonderful smoked-rosemary flavour to meat.
[]
I've had meat cooked over vine prunings to the same effect - delicious!
I recall friends of mine in France (Haut Beaujolais) had an Albizia
julibrissin which thrived in their garden for years but one year the
snowfall was particularly heavy and by the time it had all melted, the
tree was dead as a doornail.

I've had trouble with that one. I planted it in what I hoped was a very
drained hillock, but it died back more and more over several years and I
finally took it out. Haven't tried again as it was quite dear. These
do very well on the coast in sandy soil though, don't seem to mind the salt.

I put a Davidia involucrata a few feet over, it's hanging in although it
didn't appreciate the snow, either.

-E

"Emery Davis" wrote in message
...
On 03/18/2010 10:30 PM, graham wrote:
Perhaps it's age, *mine*!! Claret doesn't smell like the clarets I drank
in
my 30s {:-(


Sadly that's as likely the claret as your nose, Graham. Most claret
today is made for drinking within several years of production, not
laying down as before. This change is much remarked on in the wine
community.

cheers none the less!

-E
I wondered that! So many of them are barely recognisable as clarets - I
suppose it's all due to Rolland and Parker{:-( I drank the last of the
few 97s I had the other day. I know, I should have finished them long ago
but this was a Gruaud Larose and I've had more pleasure drinking cheap CdRs.
Graham

"Sacha" wrote in message
...
On 2010-03-19 10:15:25 +0000, Dave Hill
said:

On 19 Mar, 10:06, Dave Hill wrote:
On 19 Mar, 09:47, Sacha wrote:





On 2010-03-19 09:12:50 +0000, Dave Hill
said:

On 19 Mar, 08:13, Sacha wrote:
On 2010-03-18 21:30:33 +0000, "graham" said:

snip

As a side note, I'd like to grow some heather. Is it available as s
e
ed?
Graham

Yes, it can be grown from seed but I've never done it, so I don't kn
ow
what the success rate is.
--
Sachawww.hillhousenursery.com
Shrubs & perennials. Tender & exotics.
South Devon- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I can't see why anyone would want to grow it from seed, Cuttings take
so easily.
Just as an experiment I bought a packet of fresh rosemary from Tesco,
it was "yellow stickied" so was not the freshest, and put all the
stems in as cuttings, the strike rate was well over 50%, giving me
around 12 plants for the princly sum of 10p.
Re the flavour, strength, I would have put it down to the weather, in
dry sunny times the oil would be more concentrated in the leaves.
David Hill

It's heather he'd like to try from seed, David. Have you ever done
that? I haven't but then I'm not that keen on heathers in gardens.
--
Sachawww.hillhousenursery.com
Shrubs & perennials. Tender & exotics.
South Devon- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Typical age thing didn't notice the bit about Heathers.
I've never seen heather seed for sale, but thinking how many heather
seedlings used to grow from peat based compost it should be a
reasonable proposition.
The only seed I can find on offer is the wild Ling
David Hill- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -


Just found this on heathers from seed
http://www.heathersociety.org.uk/propagation.html
Now I must get out and work
David Hill

By canoe? It's pouring here and we have a funeral 'reception' this
afternoon in the tea room for someone who's died in this village. It's
real funeral weather. ;-(
--
Sacha

It snowed here last night!
Graham

On 03/19/2010 06:55 PM, graham wrote:
"Emery Davis" wrote in message
...
On 03/18/2010 10:30 PM, graham wrote:
Perhaps it's age, *mine*!! Claret doesn't smell like the clarets I drank
in
my 30s {:-(


Sadly that's as likely the claret as your nose, Graham. Most claret
today is made for drinking within several years of production, not
laying down as before. This change is much remarked on in the wine
community.

cheers none the less!

-E
I wondered that! So many of them are barely recognisable as clarets - I
suppose it's all due to Rolland and Parker{:-( I drank the last of the
few 97s I had the other day. I know, I should have finished them long ago
but this was a Gruaud Larose and I've had more pleasure drinking cheap CdRs.
Graham



Ye've named the very devils, particularly that fellow from Monkton.
Even in the CdR, many wine makers talk about engineering a cuvee that
fits his profile.

Too bad about the Gruaud, I'd have expected it to at least be holding up.

-E