National Collection - was UK bulbs - anemone nem.
Diane Whitehead (Sat, 12 Jun 2004 11:50:49 PDT)

In the U.K. there seem to be two official ways to get names sorted
out. One is for a Collection Holder to do a lot of research, and the
other is trials at one of the RHS gardens, like Wisley. (Did you
notice how some bulb wholesalers are using Wisely in bulb names,
instead of Wisley?)

The Royal Horticultural Society has about 50 trials each year.
http://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/trials_list.asp Some run for several
years to allow plants to settle in. Some are to test ways of growing
(like tulips in grass), some to compare new plants against old ones
(coloured flesh potatoes, not including cream or white) and some to
sort out plants with muddled nomenclature. They recently concluded
one on blue-flowering spring bulbs. I don't think they have ever had
one on Anemone nemorosa.

I don't know whether we in North America could manage a national
association of collections. We are just too diverse and way too big.
But we should be able to manage some regional collections. As Jane
suggested, it may be done by specialized garden societies.

The rhododendron growers ( I think I am correct in that it was
Pacific Northwest growers and not the Society) managed to do it.
They had the cooperation of many estates in the U.K. which had grown
rhododendron seed from collectors in the 19th century. These plants
had been exhibited and awarded prizes for a century when the
Americans asked for cuttings of the best. These were sent to U.B.C.
in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada where they were rooted. A
plant of each remains in the Asian Garden at U.B.C. and duplicate
plants are at the Rhododendron Species Foundation garden just south
of Seattle, Washington, U.S.A. Both institutions have since mounted
expeditions of their own, to places like Korea and China, and have
augmented their collections.

It would be exciting to do something similar with bulbs.

As a beginning, to sort out names of Anemone nemorosa, could we meet
somewhere central in bloom season, each with a vase full of our
flowers? Unfortunately they don't usually bloom in time for the
alpine Winter Study Weekend put on at the end of February/ beginning
of March each year.

--
Diane Whitehead Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
maritime zone 8
cool mediterranean climate (dry summer, rainy winter - 68 cm annually)
sandy soil