My question was directed at Harry Rhodes, my junior-school teacher, who was passionate about both groups of plants and who would raise them in the little greenhouse in his back garden to sell at the church bazaar in the 1950s. They were all the same price: sixpence a pot.
By growing a range in pots, we can bring the world to our doorstep
His reply was swift and concise: ‘Well, all cacti are succulents, but not all succulents are cacti.’ He must have noticed my furrowed brow. ‘The succulents that have spines we call cacti; the ones without we just call… succulents.’
The matter was settled—and so was my fondness for a group of plants that began then, at the age of nine, with a single potted specimen bought from Mr Rhodes. Its label (a scrubbed and neatly inscribed lollipop stick) bore the legend Bryophyllum pinnatum. It was a liver-spotted succulent with tiny little plantlets along the edges of its leaves. Brilliant!
For half my weekly pocket money (a shilling) I had 30 or 40 plants rather than one, as the tiny plantlets rooted with ease in other pots of sandy compost. Within a month, I could have had my own plant stall at the church bazaar. Since then, my gratitude to Mr Rhodes has never faded.
Denne historien er fra July 08, 2020-utgaven av Country Life UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Denne historien er fra July 08, 2020-utgaven av Country Life UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Kitchen garden cook - Apples
'Sweet and crisp, apples are the epitome of autumn flavour'
The original Mr Rochester
Three classic houses in North Yorkshire have come to the market; the owner of one inspired Charlotte Brontë to write Jane Eyre
Get it write
Desks, once akin to instruments of torture for scribes, have become cherished repositories of memories and secrets. Matthew Dennison charts their evolution
'Sloes hath ben my food'
A possible paint for the Picts and a definite culprit in tea fraud, the cheek-suckingly sour sloe's spiritual home is indisputably in gin, says John Wright
Souvenirs of greatness
FOR many years, some large boxes have been stored and forgotten in the dark recesses of the garage. Unpacked last week, the contents turned out to be pots: some, perhaps, nearing a century old—dense terracotta, of interesting provenance.
Plants for plants' sake
The garden at Hergest Croft, Herefordshire The home of Edward Banks The Banks family is synonymous with an extraordinary collection of trees and shrubs, many of which are presents from distinguished friends, garnered over two centuries. Be prepared to be amazed, says Charles Quest-Ritson
Capturing the castle
Seventy years after Christian Dior’s last fashion show in Scotland, the brand returned under creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri for a celebratory event honouring local craftsmanship, the beauty of the land and the Auld Alliance, explains Kim Parker
Nature's own cathedral
Our tallest native tree 'most lovely of all', the stately beech creates a shaded environment that few plants can survive. John Lewis-Stempel ventures into the enchanted woods
All that money could buy
A new book explores the lost riches of London's grand houses. Its author, Steven Brindle, looks at the residences of plutocrats built by the nouveaux riches of the late-Victorian and Edwardian ages
In with the old
Diamonds are meant to sparkle in candlelight, but many now gather dust in jewellery boxes. To wear them today, we may need to reimagine them, as Hetty Lintell discovers with her grandmother's jewellery
