Dear Mark yes, it seems extraordinary to me - culture with a capital C seems completely disassociated from anything plant or garden related in france !! But, with the blinkers of optimism, maybe a fashion can be created? Michelle 2012/1/25 Mark BROWN <brown.mark@wanadoo.fr> > Dear Michelle, > the french work by fashion and not passion so everything goes to the side > and is swept away in the tide of the latest fad. > They are not big on heritage! > No garden restorations have ever been done here with french > money.Versailles and Giverny were all done through heavy american > funding.Even then the expertise is just not there as no one is interested! > The plant collections network is a private joke! I don't mean that those > that hold them lack commitment! But we get zero support!! > I am trying to interest people here in rarer galanthus but is is such hard > work! > And I just can't see them keeping cultivars going for over a hundred years > as in Britain. > All the old french roses were refound abroad! > Hydrangea cultivars are the same story. > I have a great friend who works for the town of Nacy which was the > horticultural hub about a hundred years ago. > He is trying to find some of the old Primula sinensis cultivars of Lemoine. > I think that he is dreaming! > Old Gladiolus cultivars are surely the same story. > I have old gardening magazines from the heyday of horticulture here and > they are fantastic! > kind regards, > Mark > > > > > > Message du 25/01/12 11:42 > > De : "michelle pierce" > > A : "Pacific Bulb Society" > > Copie à : > > Objet : Re: [pbs] What's blooming Jan 21, 2012 > > > > Hello > > I naively made a new year's resolution to educate myself about french > > gardening history. What a can of worms, since it seems very difficult to > > find anything out easily.!!!! Disheartening to feel that so much has been > > let go of, and lost - at least to the mildly interested amateur. > > Does anyone know about past bulb growers or nurseries in france? I'd be > > especially interested in the history of gladioli, but anything concerning > > french garden history would be interesting. > > Thanks > > Michelle Pierce > > > > 2012/1/23 Randall P. Linke > > > > > On Mon, Jan 23, 2012 at 7:46 AM, Gastil wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > Not all my bulbs are special. In fact, most of my bulb garden is > legacy > > > > bulbs. > > > > > > > > > I for one, and I am sure there are many here, love the old favorites. > > > They are special, to us. Thank you for sharing your pictures. > > > > > > Randy > > > > > > -- > > > * * > > > A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong gives it a superficial > > > appearance of being right. - Thomas Paine --- > > > * > > > * > > > _______________________________________________ > > > pbs mailing list > > > pbs@lists.ibiblio.org > > > http://pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php > > > http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/ > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > pbs mailing list > > pbs@lists.ibiblio.org > > http://pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php > > http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/ > > > _______________________________________________ > pbs mailing list > pbs@lists.ibiblio.org > http://pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php > http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/