Precious jewels

A feature of the gardening world, which probably strikes me rather more forcibly than it does you, is the number of amateur plant specialists there are. These are experts in one area of plantsmanship, usually, who aggregate in groups in order that they can exchange technical talk, test their skills in competition and learn from their fellow-enthusiasts. Although hidden from general view (unless you become an expert yourself and start looking for them), these people add much to the sum of our understanding about plants, whenever their expertise leaks out of learned journals and into the popular prints. The layman may find their conversation mystifying, even sometimes tedious, but it is pleasing to know that it goes on. One of the reasons I like the specialists I know so much is that they are ‘doers’ by nature. It seems to me no coincidence that these people often turn out to be magistrates, charity volunteers, parish councillors, youth leaders; in short, contributors.

Galanthophiles, or snowdrop fanciers, are the best known of these enthusiasts, probably because newspapers and magazines, stuck for horticultural copy in January, profile them every year. But there are plenty of others: fuchsia enthusiasts, sempervivum specialists, hosta fanatics and fern experts, for example. If you met one, at a regional flower show, perhaps, or when visiting a private garden open for charity, I am sure you would be impressed by the depth of both their knowledge and experience.

Most popular

Brendan O’Neill

The moment in the ‘grooming gangs’ debate that shamed Jess Phillips

Some specialist groups are reasonably large, with thousands of members: for example, the Hardy Plant Society, the Alpine Garden Society, the Herb Society and the British Pteridological Society. However, many, like the Nerine and Amaryllid Society (where galanthophiles can find a home), are smaller, while a few, such as the Aquilegia Email Group, exist only in cyberspace.