Our periploca graeca, also known as a silk vine, is precious to us because we believe it once ranged over one of Peto’s two treillage pergolas across the croquet lawn. So we were thrilled when one of our talented volunteers did a lovely painting of it, which we now have printed on mugs for sale.
The periploca has these intricate little flowers which produce large long seed pods, which are a feature in their own right. The periploca is native to southern Europe and the Middle East and we don’t know how common it was in Peto’s time. It was apparently featured in an 1824 Botanical Register of Exotic Plants and today the RHS lists 6 suppliers. Our volunteers are working on the best way to propagate it for us!
The periploca is also known as the climbing dogbane – the common dogbane’s latin name, Apocynum, means “Away Dog” referring to the plant’s toxic nature for dogs. So, this coming open day, on 23 June, take a look at our periploca but keep your dog away!
