meet the collectors

LUTZ H. BASTIAN-WIRTZ, MÖNCHENGLADBACH, GERMANY

Plant collector Lutz H. Bastian-Wirtz is one of nine German residents to have completed the survey so far. Lutz has loved plants since he was 10. “I remember hearing about Wollemia at an early stage of my passion, but never had the chance to lay my hands on one,” he says.

Lutz and his husband, Martin (left), live on a farm near Mönchengladbach, in western Germany. They enjoy a fairly mild climate, and share a passion for tree ferns. When they visited renowned fern collector Kleo Montforts, he had a 4m-tall Wollemi pine in a pot, which spent each winter in a glasshouse. Excited, they bought the tree in April, and planted it into the “yummiest” soil possible, in a courtyard without too much direct sunlight. Although summer temperatures average only 25°C, climate change has ushered in drier conditions and temperatures up to 40°C. “The plant hasn’t lived outside through a winter with frost until now, but it doesn’t usually get below –5°C and the courtyard is even milder,” says Lutz. “It seems to be happy!”

The couple are delighted to have added the Wollemi to their collection. “We can’t get enough of it. It’s a great conversation piece. Every visitor thinks it looks prehistoric and has noticed something special about it. Hopefully, it will produce cones soon and the next experiment will be ahead of us!”

SEOS MAC CÁRTHAIGH, COUNTY WATERFORD, IRELAND

Seos Mac Cárthaigh (right) lives in the west of County Waterford, on the south coast of Ireland. Temperatures in his region reach the mid-20s during summer, then drop to slightly below freezing in winter.

In 2006, having followed the stories about Wollemi pines for a while, Seos bought himself a small specimen from a nursery in Cornwall, England. At ¤250,

it was an expensive purchase! That small tree is now well established and thriving, along with many other trees in Seos’ collection. The Wollemi has been through a couple of hurricanes, and is regularly exposed to strong sea breezes, but the other trees help by providing some protection. It also copes with being blanketed in snow. “I was fascinated by the white wax cap protecting the growing tip in winter, but now I can’t see it because it’s grown too tall,” says Seos.

This beautiful Wollemi pine specimen on the other side of the world has a very straight trunk, and in recent years has thrown out a few side branches near the base. Seos is considering whether to try to take cuttings.