BRENDA NEWBOLD
This large pink star has gentle crispation. The
sepals start to quill, the petals pinch along raised midribs, the soft ruffling
adding to the depth of the sculptural effect of the crispation.
ca. 28in, MID, 6in, NOCT, DOR, "Soft pale
pink with apple-green heart and chartreuse throat."
With widely-spaced two to three-way branching,
ca. 25 - 30 buds, nocturnally-opening flowers, the soft pale pink over faintest
melon base with glowing apple green heart, excellent growth and pleasant
ascending-arching foliage and productive pod and pollen fertility, I felt
that it was destined for introduction and distribution. Gasps were heard
among garden visitors when BRENDA NEWBOLD was in full bloom. Much admired
by Diana Grenfell on a visit to the garden in 1997. In the garden, the colour
is soft and clear, the throat glows green and chartreuse, the flower form
is a huge star with rippled edges and gentle twists. Illustration below
is typical for our climate. In Louisiana, in the trial borders of Mr. Clarence
Crochet, BRENDA NEWBOLD's crispation pattern was much more pronounced and
its form more slender.
Growth is excellent as it cold hardiness, but
increase can be between moderate and good depending on soil content. When
moved to the nursery where we have deep, alluvial, sandy soil, the scapes
on BRENDA NEWBOLD and others that had remained relatively short for the
past five years, planted in a drought-prone garden on a hillside, grew taller
and produced better branching. An excellent garden plant for the north,
this one has also been trialed in Lousiana, USA and seems to like the heat
as well.
Named for a dear friend and enthusiast for the
Exotic Forms.