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| It is always a
pleasure to find a plant in the mountains, which you
have grown in your garden. Returning from the Russian
Caucasus, we found Stachys macrantha (syn.
Betonica macrantha, B. grandiflora),
which was common on the mountainsides there, still in
flower at home, and attracting the bees. |
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Stachys
macrantha near Dombai (1800m) |
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S.
macrantha in the garden |
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| The
plant in our garden was brought back from Warble
Bank, Newtownmountkennedy on one of those
wonderful garden trips organised by Margaret
Glynn and Kay Dunlop for Ulster Group AGS
members in 2011, when our Ulsterbus driver
Dirk's patience was sorely tried as the bus
became packed with plants. |
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| This
lovely cottage garden, owned by Ann Condell and
her family for generations, was the last visit of
our tour and as we all admired plants Ann kindly
tried to satisfy our desires, in my case the
floriferous Stachys.
I now realise that
it is a plant of alpine meadows, flowering in
profusion at around 1800m in the Caucasus
mountains. In the book 'Flowers of the Caucasus'
by Vojtech Holubec & Pavel Krivka ( Pavel was
with us on our Russian visit) it is
described under the name Betonica grandiflora as a
'decorative easy perennial - sunny place, no
other requirements.'
Judging by its
display this year in our garden I can vouchsafe
that description and, growing to 50 cms, recommend
it as a colourful addition to the border.
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