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LIVE 24-SEVEN


91


pink, with a few white exceptions. The sarniensis collection at Exbury are not hardy and need the protection of a glasshouse, but are simply sensationally stunning. I was not expecting to see such a vibrant mix of colours and sparkle, but more on that to follow, for now back to the 1970s.


The majority of the nerine collection was acquired by Sir Peter Smithers, who had been MP for Winchester. He moved to Switzerland and took the bulbs with him. Peter took breeding very seriously, subjecting new introductions to beauty contests with friends judging. He created thousands of crosses, resulting in a cacophony of colours and petal variations from smooth to crinkled and even striped colourations. It was in the 1990s that Sir Peter contacted Exbury about taking back the collection and this Nicholas did without hesitation!


From orange in the early days, we now have whites, pastel pinks, fuchsia pinks, purples, reds and all shades in between. The number of florets per stem can equal 20 where flowers are strong. One thing I was not expecting was sparkle and this, ladies and gentlemen, is true pantomime fairy dust sparkle! Look closely I was told and there it was…strips of glitter, rather like sweeps of my best Charlotte Tilbury eyeshadow – an iridescence I have not seen in any other flower. It was truly magical and highlighted by the LED lights positioned above in the Five Arrows Gallery where the best of the nerine collection is laid out for public inspection. No wonder they are often known as ‘Jewel Lilies’!


Nicholas has over 900 different nerines in his collection – a number which is growing as breeding continues – around half of which are named. Of course there is his namesake and various family members, but creativity has excelled here with a musical ‘Mozart’, a cosmic ‘Cassiopeia’ and for the fierce reds, a number of feared characters to suit their nerine namesake such as ‘Attila’. There is a nursery area from which he selects promising new forms to nurture and it was a joy to see him pointing out ones which caught his expert eye!


I learnt so much during my visit. Here is a national collection well worth a few hours’ drive. You can see the nerines on display until the 3rd November, so hurry, there’s no time like the present – Nikko and the narcotic nerines await!


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THROUGH THE GARDEN GATE CAMI L LA BAS S E T T - SMI TH


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