RAYMOND EVISON'S WILD FLORA GUERNSEY DEFINITIVES 1

Several times over the years we have featured cultivated flowers, many of which have been grown in Guernsey for export. On this occasion we are turning the spotlight on some of those that bloom of their own accord, year after year, with no help from mankind.

Wild flowers are one of nature's adornments, springing up sometimes in the unlikeliest of places. With plenty of wild space in which they can thrive, it is only to be expected that Guernsey will have a wide array of these: the cliffs decorated, the hedges and coastal paths lined and L'Ancresse Common studded with a wide variety of little floral jewels. For many people, Springtime cannot be allowed to pass without a visit to the Bluebell Wood, a positive blast of azure into which dappled sunshine pours, to be enjoyed while following the path from St Peter Port to the south coast.

Raymond Evison OBE, VMH photographed all the species featured in this set. Now internationally regarded as the leading authority on clematis, Mr Evison began his horticultural career at Treasures of Tenbury, a nursery in Shropshire, England.  After becoming a junior partner, he served as managing director until 1986, when he moved to Guernsey and founded the Guernsey Clematis Nursery.

In 1984, Mr Evison formed the International Clematis Society and was President from 1989-1991. As an exhibitor at the Royal Horticultural Society's Shows, including the Chelsea Flower Show, he has won many gold medals, five Williams Memorial medals and the coveted Lawrence Medal, awarded annually to the best exhibit shown to the Society during the year. In 1995 he was awarded the  Victoria Medal of Honour (V.M.H.) by the Royal Horticultural Society for his outstanding service to British Horticulture; he was made an Officer of the Order of The British Empire (O.B.E.) in 2000 for his services to Horticulture in Guernsey. In January 2004 we issued a set of self stick stamps designed by Mr Evison featuring 10 of the clematis plants he has raised in Guernsey, including four new cultivars.

Sea Campion Silene uniflora

Abundant around the coastal outcrops and at the edge of pathways as well as on the cliffs, this is a real sea-lover. It is also found growing on ancient stonewalls and on hedge banks.

Marguerite Leucanthemum vulgare

Also known as the Ox-eye Daisy, but increasingly commonly referred to by this feminine French name, this is a plant that was once common in meadows but now seen only on field margins. Similar to the common daisy but taller and more substantial, it grows well alongside coastal pathways and on the headlands.

Sheep's-bit Jasione montana

Looking not unlike a cornflower, with its powder blue flowers, this can cover banks and areas of clifftop. It is very popular with butterflies and bees as a nectar plant.

Greater Birds-foot Trefoil Lotus pedunculatus

Its little bean-shaped petals suggest this plant's English name, which is a taller-growing plant than the common form. It can be found in damp grassland and marshes, particularly in meadows.

Spear Thistle Cirsium vulgare

One of those plants that we approach with caution because of its built-in aggressive armour, but the vivid pink flowers make it a spiky beauty.  Generally found on field margins, waste places and bare ground, it is a great favourite of small birds when in seed.

Great Bindweed Calystegia silvatica

A climbing or creeping perennial often found in bushes, hedgerows and disused areas, and can grow up to three metres. In the garden it can be a nuisance, but left to its own devices in a wild space, the smooth, clean curves of the flowers are a natural joy.

Red Campion Silene dioica

Pink rather than red and a good-looker rather than an elegant beauty, this can grow to a height of about 9cm. So common that, unfairly, we can almost overlook it. Its place in this collection is therefore doubly justified.

Product Information

Set of mint stamps

Specification