Date: Fri, 10 Jul 1998 00:34:13 -0400 From: "Paul V. McCullough" <pvmcull@voicenet.com> To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg2307$foo@default> Subject: Longwood Gardens
Today, Diane and I went to our favorite haunt, Longwood Gardens.
Longwood Gardens was once renowned for it's CP display- especially it's
magnificent Nepenthes room and collection. Sadly, their CP displays
seem to have fallen into severe neglect.
The Nepenthes have, since last year, been moved to a less auspicious
hallway amongst ferns- and the two window box CP displays have overgrown
to the point that smaller plants are being crushed out of existence.
Longwood has magnificent sarracenia leucophyla on display, a crushed
sarr psittacina and two Sarr hybrids prominently displayed- sarr
catesbaei (purp x flava) and sarr mitchelliana (purp x leuco). Around
the base of these are (or were) drosera capensis and drosera binata
forms plus a scattering of VFT. While the drosera seem to be hanging on
(although there was no "dew" on the traps- always an example of ill
health for drosera)- the sarr psittacina was crushed under the weight
of out of control pitchers spread from a sarr. mitchelliana! The VFTs
had healthy and huge traps, but old pitchers were already descending on
them. The Neps looked dry- though alive- but w/o the healthy green they
used to have. Some of the Sarr leuco traps were malformed, but this may
be more indicative of transitional leaves...
I have to admit that I was extremely disappointed in their neglected CP
display- I intend to write to those in charge of Longwood Gardens about
the disgraceful neglect that they've put these plants in... none of the
other areas in the gardens are showing such casual disregard. All of
the other displays are perfect.
I'm also piqued by the fact that Longwood Gardens prides itself on it's
"conservatory" - that is, it's conservative efforts to house rare plants
and give them glorious rooms for each type- but that CP are relegated to
a hallway (overcrowded by stag ferns) and two "coat closets". Why not a
room like the nice area they devote to their cactus display- or
something like their (hideous) "silver" plants display? The old
nepenthes area (which now features begonias and other "garden" variety
plants) would have made a spectacular CP room! I urge all CP lovers
everywhere to write to Longwood Gardens (Rt#1, Kennett Square, PA) and
urge them to clean up their act- and give us a better CP display!
Cheers,
Paul
-- Paul V. McCullough Webpage: http://www.voicenet.com/~pvmcull
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