Hello All, I live in SW Scotland. If you look at any map of Scotland and go as far South and West as you can that's about right. The climate is mild in this area as we get the benefits of the tail end of the Gulf Stream as it comes up through the Irish Sea. Temperatures can occasionally go down to minus 6 oC and high in summer would be around 25 oC, the mean average then being about 21 oC. From October through to the end of February the year we get heavy rainfall and indeed throughout the year the generally damp moist climate, with an average of around 2000mm of rain p.a. promotes healthy growth, particularly for plants from areas like Chile and New Zealand. In Scotland overall the average hours of sun per year total around 1400 whereas in Southern England the figure would be nearer 1700. I would hate potential visitors to think we live in some sort of Stygian gloom and we often get really warm sunny weather in May and June and August in particular. So what am I doing talking about Shizostylis/Hesperantha ? I need to clarify one point before going any further. In the UK Hesperantha and Schizostylis are still considered separately from a horticultural point of view. I am well aware of the reduction of Schizostylis into Hesperantha by messrs Goldblatt and Manning and have no problem with this but at the moment our UK horticultural bodies have accepted their findings but not yet implemented the name change as they believe it may confuse our gardeners. That ruling may change before long and I hope it does but it may explain why I concentrate on Schizostylis coccinea or, as most in N. America and elsewhere would call it, Hesperantha coccinea. About 5 years ago I was given about a dozen different examples of Schizostylis coccinea that were being uprooted and needing a new home. I soon realised that they thrived with me and after seeing how they flowered profusely in November and December I was hooked. It may be cheaper than golf but it can be just as frustrating a hobby! I collected more and more of the named varieties. There are currently 30 in the UK Plantfinder. In 2002 I applied for, and after a lot of on-site inspections and record preparation was awarded, full status for a National Collection of Schizostylis under the auspices of the National Council for the Conservation of Plants and Gardens, (NCCPG) Mary Sue advises me that not everyone may be familiar with NCCPG so please bear with me whilst I give a short resume. It is an independent national organisation set up 25 years ago with the aim of conserving plant diversity and recording plants in danger of extinction through dedicated national collections across the UK, as well as gardens, albeit the latter has become somewhat secondary in the way of things. Twenty-five years on there are 43 Regional Groups across Britain and over 6000 members. I, until recently, chaired my SW Scotland group and quite demanding that was too! Some 650 National Collections are held throughout the UK and I believe they contain around over 60,000 plant varieties, many saved from extinction by the voluntary action of the botanical gardens, institutions, private gardeners, etc, who look after them. I understand there are similar if maybe less comprehensive bodies elsewhere across the globe but NCCPG is probably unique in that it embraces such wide support across the UK. Over the past few months I have been considering the problems associated with differentiating between the various named Schizostylis,and I shall concentrate on what we call Schizostylis from now on rather than Hesperantha. I now have around 40 in the Collection and am aware there are still others out there. (A full list of what I hold is listed at the end of this piece.) Gradually I and another colleague who holds a similar collection in the South of England have come to the same conclusion. It is virtually impossible to separately identify some of the named cultivars in circulation. Whether one uses traditional horticultural methods of comparison such as colour, flower heads per stalk, length of perianth, etc, the differences are so minutely finite that one can understand why many of the examples in circulation are either misnamed or renamed! Does it matter? Well if you are responsible for the integrity of a National Collection it does. Quite apart from the fact that there are unfortunately just a few unscrupulous, or perhaps ill informed traders, who will take advantage of confusion to introduce existing varieties under a new and much promoted name. But how to sort the problem out? By chance, (another story perhaps) I came across an eminent scientific researcher in a UK University who was well qualified in DNA analysis on plant material and had recently developed a very interesting commercial application in this field that received much media attention. She has now agreed to carry out DNA analysis on Schizostylis material supplied by me to see if there is a way of determining differences between the various cultivars. I know nothing about DNA analysis but she believes it may be possible and initial work has already started on this long-term project. It will cost quite a lot of money and time and effort, all problems there to be overcome and I hope to be able to apply for grant funding over the months ahead. My role as the simple layman, and I have little technical expertise to offer except some 25 years hands on gardening experience, is to try and establish just how many varieties, sports, cultivars, whatever we may call them, of Schizostylis exist and try and gather as many as I can for the tests, as well as for the National Collection itself. A task that gradually convinces me that championship golf might well indeed have been a much simpler challenge! Already, through the PBS I have learned of more new ones and acquired 2 new examples as well. I might even want to extend into collecting Hesperantha in time and it is possible I believe that cross cultivation might bring about new colour sports but that is a long way off in the calendar. All in all I have so far had some interesting contacts for someone who was kindly permitted to join you all only a month ago. Thanks Cathy and Mary Sue! I now list the examples held by me at present and provide some info on names I have heard of but have not yet tracked down. The numbers are my accession numbers in the Collection Schizostylis coccinea held in the National Collection. 02010 S. c.Jennifer 02011 S. c.Oregon Sunset 02012 S.c.Hint of Pink 02013 S.c. Salmon Charm 02014 S.c. Mrs. Hegarty 02015 S.c.Zeal Salmon 02016 S.c.Sunrise 02017 S.c. Tambara 02018 S.c. Hilary Gould 02019 S.c.Professor Barnard 02020 S.c.November Cheer 02021 S.c. Viscountess Byng 02022 S.c. Elburton Glow 02023 S.c. Red Dragon (A particularly sturdy and brilliant red form) 02024 S.c. Hannah Gould 02025 S.c.Hannah Gubbay 02026 S.c. Maidens Blush 02027 S.c. Mollie Gould 02028 S.c. Seedling A 02029S.c.Snow Maiden 02030 S.c. Jack Frost 02031 S.c. Silver Pink 02032 S.c.late flowering 02033 S.c.Anne 02034 S.c. Cindy Towe 02035 S.c. Caroline 02036 S.c. J&L 244 Ordered and a/w delivery, S.C Vera, S.c Big Moma, S.c. Pink Princess, S.c. Christine de vere, S.c. Major Superba In addition it is understood the following exist but have not yet been traced as at 11 Feb,03 : - The Bride, Rosalie, Rosea, November Charm, Mary Barnado, Pink Ice, Zeal Blush, Rose Glow, Edward E Bowles, Salome, Pink Marg and Strawberry. Crimson Flag is often mentioned but I believe this is simply another common general name for the genus. If anyone can provide new names and if possible a description and a supplier that indeed would be very much appreciated. I am also interested in hearing about your experiences in growing these colourful plants. They are often ignored for flower arranging but have lots of potential in that field. I apologise for such a lengthy piece but can only say you are lucky you are all bulb enthusiasts as if you had got me going on my real penchant for collecting tulip tree cultivars and cercis cultivars you would be sitting at your screens a lot longer! Thanks for bearing with me, Alan Kennedy