Mystery at Kew?

Checked Mail on Sunday for the mistletoe article (see yesterday's blog) but not there so either in Saturday's paper or delayed until next week. That would be more appropriate - as it is December by then, and mistletoe articles in November always seem a bit premature.

But i decide to check yesterday's paper anyway - and check the daily mail website. Looks like the only way to access yesterday's paper is to buy a week's access to the e-edition - which gives full access to the whole paper (for a week), as published - and all the back issues... So I pay my £4.99 and soon realise I've been conned (I think). The mistletoe piece would be in the Weekend supplement - but despite easily getting access to the main Saturday paper, there's no obvious (or actual?) access the supplement - shome mistake shurely? I should complain but won't until this time next week - give 'em the benefit of the doubt for a few days.... and see how readable these e-editions are, have been tempted to try the Guardian version for ages...

Meanwhile I get an email from Masaya Tatebayashi, a Japanese student at Kew who's been introducing mistletoe to the garden as part of the London Mistletoe Action Plan (http://www.lbp.org.uk/03action_pages/ac22_mistletoe.html). His introductions are germinating nicely, though with high mortality. This isn't unusual - only last Friday I spent a disappointing hour or so up a tree in a (secret) London location looking at low survival rates in some of the other mistletoe plantings. More on London plantings later...

But Masaya also has other news - he's found an established mistletoe plant at Kew - but it looks very odd. I think I know what it is... but will reserve judgement until we find out more - watch this space...