Spikeys Listing

[David Nicholson]

He was last active on the Forum on 2 April 2014, rather a pity he was always very interesting. Maybe he's gone to Facetwit?

[Alan_b]

I am sometimes told I speak too quietly.  Now it seems I need to write more loudly also.

Davey .. moved to a flat so had to give-away his snowdrop collection.

   

[Brian Ellis]

I am sometimes told I speak too quietly.  Now it seems I need to write more loudly also.
 

Not at all, we heard you, but you didn't answer the question that David posed

Maybe he's gone to Facetwit?

[emma T]

No he's not very active there either .

[Brian Ellis]

Well that is a loss to galantholand

[David Nicholson]

Not at all, we heard you, but you didn't answer the question that David posed

Well I'm normally a very quiet person really

[Maggi Young]

I have tried to keep in touch with Davey - to no avail.

[Tim Harberd]

I see you’ve got a couple of Ermines on the list… Should ‘Ermine Shuttlecock’ be included?

Did Hector Harrison ever produce a catalogue??

Tim DH

[Brian Ellis]

I see you’ve got a couple of Ermines on the list… Should ‘Ermine Shuttlecock’ be included?

Did Hector Harrison ever produce a catalogue??

Tim DH

Not one I know Tim, but Matt has it in the F1 category of intermediate doubles with 'Mrs Tiggeywinkle' et al

[Alan_b]

I don't recall ever hearing of Hector Harrison, although I see he spoke at the Galanthus Gala in 1999 on 'Raising New Snowdrops'.  I have learned that he died in 2002 as I found a brief obituary https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/uk.rec.gardening/vHYiqU8mk7U
Is there somewhere I can read more about him?

[Brian Ellis]

All the Ermine series and, of course, 'Appleby' were selected by him.  He was also an expert on Diascia but strangely I can only find references to the various snowdrop books by Googling.

[Alan_b]

I cannot find much information online about Hector Harrison,  Perhaps this is the influence of the internet but it makes me sad to find that a pioneering breeder of diascias who also contributed a number of named snowdrops is so sparsely documented.  I found this quote on the forum

The Galanthus Appleby stable name indicates it was raised/selected and named from the garden of the late Hector Harrison who lived in the village of Appleby, North Lincolnshire not far from Scunthorpe. Hector was a quiet, modest unassuming gentleman with a midas touch for snowdrops and Diascia. Our nursery did distribute a number of Hectors snowdrops in the 1990's and we are delighted to read that some are persisting.

I discovered one article about Hector Harrison in Lincolnshire Life (vol 40 no 10 Jan 2001 p30) but that magazine is too old to be available online so I have no knowledge of the content.

[Maggi Young]

That  obituary note is by our  own SRGC Membership secretary, ChrisB  - I'm sure she would not mind us copying her  note here :
    Chris Boulby    
24/02/2002
I'm so sorry I cannot give the time to post to the group much any more,
but I felt I must let fellow gardeners know of the loss of Hector
Harrison.

I learned yesterday that my dear friend and mentor during the early days
for diascias, has died.  Hector single-handedly drew attention to the
plants I love so dearly in the late 1980's and began breeding them. 

He had been doing so for at least seven years before I began my
collection, and his love for this species continued until his passing.

Most of the cultivars now found in the Plantfinder are due to or
inspired by Hector's work - if you have ever grown D. 'Redstart', D.
'Jacqueline's Joy', D. 'Appleby Apricot', D. 'Salmon Supreme', then you
have enjoyed Hector's work.

He was also a lover of snowdrops and bred a number of cultivars.

He will be sadly missed.
Christine Boulby National Collection of Diascia
Northumberland

[Brian Ellis]

It has niggled me somewhat that there is so little to find about Hector Drury Harrison and then I noticed that I had referenced the Daffodils snowdrops and tulips Yearbook 2005-2006 where Ruby Baker wrote an appreciation.

She lists his Galanthus nivalis 'Windmill', 'Ermine Spikey', 'Ermine Oddity'. 'Suttlecock', 'Ermine B', 'Ermine C', 'Ermine Street', 'Appleby', 'Cassaba' (no longer valid), and from his cross of Heyrick Greatorex's 'Nerissa' aand G.elwesii: 'Ermine Lace', 'Ermine Farm', 'Ermine Joyce', 'Ermine House', 'Ermine Ad Astra' 'Ermine Ruby' and 'Ermine Green'.  Some of these are no longer extant. 
'Ermine Ruby' is a four petaled G.nivalis named for Ruby Baker, I would love to track this one down, 'Ermine Joyce' named for his wife and he lived on Ermine Street and worked at Ermine House.

What a magnificent fund of knowledge Ruby had, I hope that helps you Alan

[Gail]

I think I read an article on his work on diascias ? in the RHS magazine, ? the Hardy Plant Society yearbook - I'll try and hunt it out.