Now for some facts from this tremblingly beautiful miss plant world contestant:

“My name is Eucalyptus ficifolia, but recently my scientific name was changed by you human beings to Corymbia ficifolia. I’m a very rare small tree in the wild, and of an extremely limited distribution, East of Mount Frankland & Walpole in the far South Western corner of Australia. To be honest I’m beautiful – and widely grown by you humans as an ornamental cultivated specimen in gardens and as a street tree throughout the warmer regions of my green world. My flowers are simply stunning, varying from a blasting orange to rich red and my fruiting gum nuts are sumptuously massive. Although there are over 1,000 indigenous species of Eucalyptus Trees on my continent of Australia – I’m by far the most attractive!!”

Bloggers, Tom the Plant Man returning now! I told you that this plant talks – rather a floral show off I think! Corymbia ficifolia is frost tender however and mature specimens are extremely rarely seen growing outside in the UK, beyond the West Country. But this gum will flower in a large pot, giving winter protection under cover in a frost-free, well lit place. The Lullingstone specimen is in the ground in a polytunnel. Germination from seed is easy and within four years it’s possible to experience the master class overpoweringly swelteringly seducing flowers.

Bloggers, this is the greatest floral addition to Lullingstone’s swelling National Collection of Eucalyptus. A Eucalyptus collection that will be on display in the Plant Heritage Marquee at the world’s largest annual flower show – Hampton Court, in 2011. Readers, Ecstatic times ahead.

Ps: Chiltern Seeds: 01229 581137 or www.chilternseeds.co.uk – supply Corymbia ficifolia seed.

I recounted 'my' travelling tales in North America, and how I introduced amazing plants such as the Californian Poppy, the Michaelmas Daisy and what was the tallest tree on our planet – the Douglas Fir. I was struck by the sheer importance of the plant hunters – who introduced 80% on average of what we see in our gardens today – staggering!!!  I was also struck in the baking heat - how sweaty my outfit was making me!! I was dripping – a reservoir of sweat was collecting in my top hat!! Casting the sweatiness aside – I looked quite dapper in my costume and felt worryingly clean, not in my usual smelly gardening shorts, T-shirt and trainers. Dad didn’t even recognize me!

But before I handed my horticultural reins over to Pauline who was magnificently dressed up as a bearded (double sided sticky tape used!) Englishman John Tradescant, noted for introducing the Yucca from North America, I had to recall the sad story of my death at the young age of 35 – when plant hunting in Hawaii I accidently fell into a bull pit and was gored to death by this horned beast. Then as David Douglas passed away my alter ego Tom Hart Dyke burst to life, my personality erupting from David Douglas’s silk jacket, walking stick and top hat – and I pondered my lucky escape Ten Years Ago at the hands of Colombian Guerrillas. Plant Hunting, readers, still continues to this day albeit using Easy Jet instead of a ship!


  

Visitors really enjoyed the experience – they thought it madly eccentric, which it naturally was but the visitor also felt that they’d learnt something about these ‘risk life and limb’ ladies and gents. And the fact that you could show punters the actual plants that they introduced in their miniature native lands whilst dressed to the hilt in wacky, almost accurate fancy dress was totally eccentric behaviour but also very educational. Jo dressed up as Jean Kingdon-Ward – who together with her husband Frank, famous for introducing the Himalayan Blue Poppy, were in the 1940s the last of the great plant hunters; Chrissie delivered a superb Scottish accent as George Forrest famous for introducing Primula vialii and loads more goodies from China; Tamar was a stately yet sumptuous Joseph Banks who travelled to Australasia and was instrumental in establishing Kew Gardens and the RHS; Jo dressed and sketched in fabulously realistic fashion as Miss Marianne North  - the world’s most famous botanical artist and Iris posing as Lady Anne Monson aristocratically spoke of her travels to South Africa – and her acquaintance with Linnaeus  - the founder of plant taxonomy.

I must also mention my Dear Granny who stole the show by dressing up as Joseph Banks’s Great Granny (see above left) and Hugh Nisbet for something a bit different – in his Minotaur outfit showing visitors around his specially constructed Labyrinth (see above right)! All good fun.

Bloggers, what a blinding weekend – Hip Hip Horray to plant hunters.