Third Czech International Rock Garden Conference -May 2017

[ranunculus]

Huge anticipation …

[fermi de Sousa]

Now for some shots of the main hotels.....
...

Looks the sort of place that serves lots of dumplings!
cheers
fermi

[Lesley Cox]

Dumplings That's a good reason NOT to go!. Just as well I didn't win last night's $40million lotto draw! Not having a ticket had something to do with that.

[Lesley Cox]

Lovely to see Ludmilla and Jiri again though. And that rocky picture looks like a fabulous alpine garden. 

[Arie.v]

We are booked and looking forward to a great conference again.

[ChrisB]

Got my confirmation from Ludmila on Saturday, what a relief, was sure I'd messed up the money transfer, but it is ok!  Flights booked too so we are all set..... 

[Matt T]

All set here too: conference place, flights and hotel booked. Looking forward to finally meeting up with some far flung Forum friends next May!

[fermi de Sousa]

Likewise, Matt
The last one was particularly fun and we had a great group photo,
cheers
fermi

[Maggi Young]

A wee reminder about the lineup of speakers for the conference...

[Maggi Young]

As I hope you all know, there are many photos of the gardens visited in 2007 and 2013 after the Czech conferences in the pages of the forum, as a constant reminder of the quality of the Czech gardens - but the committee for the 3rd Conference are introducing some of those to be visited next year as an incentive to book!
"Now we would like to show you the gardens you will visit during the  conference. So follow us every Wednesday to see more
 And don´t forget to register: http://czrgs.cz/conference-registration2.html
 First one to introduce is Martin Brejník.
 Martin is promising “young” rock gardener and designer of gardens. His home limestone rock garden is one man rock work. Stones, large slabs are delivered with a track from Czech Karst quarry and all the transport and setting rocks into position is just enormous effort of one slim 50 years old gentleman. The rock work has two parts: one older with layers tilted to 30 degrees from horizon level and the second larger portion with deep canyon for collecting rain water has vertical layers. Top dressing is from limestone pieces. The great display in May is done with his large collection of small hardy Daphnes; all day sun treatment is seen in their blooming, compact growth and colour of the leaves. Martin is perfect in details of paths and stony troughs. Some alpines show nice effect planted itself with self sowing for example yellow Degenia velebitica."











 

[Maggi Young]

"The garden and gardener to introduce  this week is Stanislav Čepička.
 

 Garden Stanislav Čepička, Praha 5-Radotín
 The steep garden built above rotten schist or slate is very famous in spring time for unique collection of dwarf bulbs grown outdoors without protection. Stanislav loves are Juno Irises. This hot rock garden enjoys full sun all day. It is in a steppe part of the relatively dry limestone area called Czech Karst so the owner of the garden must water it quite often. Half of the all rock work are local limestone stones placed in vertically converted layers connected with very natural limestone grit screes or fine top dressing. Second half of the rock garden is made from local soft travertine stones (boulders), which English speaking gardeners called tufa rock. It is probably the largest travertine outcrop in Czech Republic. This local soft travertine is bizarre in shapes and Stanislav is the master of assembling smaller stones into high compact ridges. The dense system of ridges has its purpose: to get plenty of places facing to the north for growing true alpine plants which hate scorching sun. Southern aspect here is fine for plants from Turkey, Central Asia and the Balkan. Gentiana angustifolia loves heavier soil among wet bodies of travertine boulders so you can see here thousand of deep violet-blue trumpets in May. Lovers of the small cushion plants will see broad assortment of Androsaces, Phloxes, dwarf yellow Linums. Very pretty are dense cushions, mats and domes of Arenarias and Gypsophila connecting the stones and decorating ridges all the year round. Stanislav Čepička has trial garden for many new introductions (he has always fresh seed of Czech famous seed collectors and he has green fingers for dealing with seedlings). One example of successful trial is blooming new dwarf Edraianthus pilosulus from Monte Negro, Komovi Mts. Very young seedlings are planted into drilled holes only10 mm broad. We hope that plantsman Čepička will be fully healed next year. At present he must drink only non-alcoholic beers so his fan is limited."

[Maggi Young]

More from the garden of Stanislav Čepička

[Maggi Young]

The next garden in the Czech  plans for 2017 .... again this garden can be seen in photos  from 2013  and also with later additions in the SRGC Forum -  we love these gardens!!  A smart  small  garden that also has a great new addition - Petr Divis is the audio visual  expert for the Czech conference  as well!

 
"This week we will show you smaller but also nice garden of Petr Diviš.
 Rock garden has been built in 2011 and it is an example how even small narrow coridor and corner of the garden could be utilised. Used granite comes from very old quarry Žernovka about 30 km from Prague. As granite seldom creates suitable flat stones, it has been necessary to select right shaped stones directly in the quarry."

[David Nicholson]

Wonderful ideas.

[Maggi Young]

The fourth garden is probably well known by many but still promises a lot of new plants and improvements. 
 
Garden  of Vojtech Holubec
 "Vojtech loves natural geographically divided rockgardens. He belongs to founders of crevice garden constructing using flat layers. When he were looking for a source of suitable flat stones, he found excellent limestone blocks in an old quarry. The beauty of mossy large blocks convinced him to use blocks instead flat layers. He puchased 4 big trucks and together with his son David they constructed stratigraphical RG using the same principles like when using flat layers, most of it in 2001. In addition he has a travertin/tufa RG and volcanic red porous lava part. He grows mainly wild plants of his own collecting."