King’s Spear

Following in the footsteps of the renowned Australian plantsman, Marcus Harvey, Logan visited the Pindus Mountains in Greece during the previous European spring.

Large swathes of King’s spear (Asphodeline lutea) were in full bloom at the time within striking limestone meadows in the zone between the village of Monodendri and the area known as Stone Forest – offering insights into the cultivation of this dryland species (of which we grow an unusual burnt orange form from the Levant).

Lower-altitude populations were already well past their peak, with most plants already in seed, but Stone Forest’s elevation of c. 1500m leads to later flowering. King’s spear was mostly restricted to open areas amidst woodlands of Turkish hazel (Corylus colurna) and Montpellier maple (Acer monspessulanum).

Within New Zealand, Asphodeline lutea is generally seen in drier climates like Central Otago, and it normally struggles with wet northern winters. To accommodate its edaphic needs, we have raised our specimens of the orange A. lutea in broad mounds of dolomite shale and time will tell whether we’ve done enough (although our plants are building up well, with new foliage currently emerging from the ground).

The role of human activities in shaping this landscape was observed firsthand by Logan –  although these are possibly better attributed to canine employment, as Logan saw multiple farm dogs rounding up livestock in the absence of any humans. Evidently, the Greeks have taken agriculture to a more enlightened level, in which all parties know their place in the grand scheme of things.

As with many of our grazed landscapes, it appears that livestock (at low stocking levels) may keep these areas open – thereby providing habitat for flowering species such as A. lutea and the low-growing Ornithogalum shown below (probably O. divergens).

The images and recollections that form the basis of this journal article are provided by Logan Drummond from recent travels in the Mediterranean. As with all other images on the O2 Landscapes website, ownership resides with the photographer, and these images may not be used or reproduced without the consent of both Logan and O2 Landscapes.