Born Out of Frustration

Last night we were forecast to have a heavy frost (and heavy frost it was indeed) so I tucked away a few potted plants inside the greenhouse that could potentially be damaged by late frosts. One of those plants is this Podophyllum delavayi...

Podophyllum delavayi

Which made me think of the beautiful Podophyllum 'Spotty Dotty'...

Podophyllum 'Spotty Dotty'

Which in turn made me remember of an interesting remark a knowledgeable plantsman once made, saying that apparently 'Spotty Dotty' was born out of frustration...

Frustration with Podophyllum delavayi!

Podophyllum delavayi

Although hardy, P. delavayi sprouts so early in the year that it is prone to being damaged by late frosts, never to show up again until early next year just to be zapped by frosts again. The cycle continues year in and year out. I have personally observed this in our garden. Every time I see it sprouting out from the ground very early in the year I hope that no frosts will come our way so I can enjoy its presence in the garden for months to come. As expected, that is yet to happen. This year when they start to sprout (the one in the pot always comes up much earlier than ones on the ground) I'll throw some fleece on them when frosts are forecast, hopefully that will be enough to save them from going mush and break that trend.

The only way I can reliably enjoy it in leaf is to have one in a pot that I can shift under cover in the spring when frosts are forecast.

Podophyllum delavayi blooms

Interestingly enough, one would think that if a plant gets zapped every year that it never gets a chance to leaf out that it would go backward each time until the plant eventually disappears. That doesn't seem to be the case in our garden. Each year I see more and more trying to sprout. It seems determined at least.

Podophyllum 'Spotty Dotty' sprouting in the spring

Anyway, back to Podophyllum 'Spotty Dotty', it is a hybrid between P. delavayi and P. difforme, with the exotic looks of the former and the tendency to sprout much later in the spring from the latter, making it less prone to being damaged by frosts. A winning combo!