Trillium Weekend at Methven, 2007

[Lesley Cox]

Good one of Dave but I didn't realize I had such hairy legs.

[Susan]

Isn't it always the way. You never see yourself as others see you!

[annew]

I'm really enjoying seeing these beautiful gardens - the gentian border is particularly lovely, especially with the fallen camellia flowers amongst it.

[ranunculus]

What a tremendous thread....many thanks Lesley and Susan.

[Staale]

Thank you for sharing theese fantastic images, Lesley and Susan. Makes our autumn brighter. I have never seen a fully developed Calycanthus before, only young plants. It goes on my list!

[Maggi Young]

The Calycanthus is new to me, so I had to look it up... I discover it is from the south-eastern states of the USA, grows neater in full sun, is delicicious to rabbits and, while nicely scented, especially in the evening, the scent is variable from plant to plant.  I'm off to mark this plant on my want-list too!

(I decided not to comment about Lesley's hairy legs...........)

[Luc Gilgemyn]

very sensible thing to do Maggi ! 

[rob krejzl]

Maggi,

Sinocalycanthus is more impressive. The white flowers are larger, as are the leaves which also develop very tropical-looking drip-tips.

[Maggi Young]

Okay, Rob, more research coming up for me, I see! I do like the red/brown flowers of that Calycanthus, tho' I believe there is a yellow-flowered variety, also. They remind me of a sort of feral  magnolia !!
The sinocalycanthus is even more like a magnolia, I see.... now I remember seeing this plant in The Garden (RHS magazine) at some point, I think. Very beautiful.... I'd have one of those AND a brown flowered one, too! I need next dorr's garden, and quickly.

[rob krejzl]

I'd have one of those AND a brown flowered one, too! 

With those two in the garden you'd probably then get the yellow flowered hybrid as well. How economical - three for the price of two!

[Susan]

I have just managed to buy Sinocalycanthus chinensis and the leaves are only just coming out, so it is fairly late. I bought it solely on the promise of the description  - "shiny leaves, and waxy purple and cream saucer shaped flowers  rather like a formal double white camellia, but with a cup centre. Best with quite heavy shade"  - sounds Ok for here.  I shall keep you posted. 

A few more from the week-end.
A planting of Trillium chloropetalum.
Trillium rivale.
Trillium kurabayashii.
A patch of Muscari.
A couple of birds near a pond.  The water is a strange colour and I think this may be because the water used comes from  an irrigation race.  This area has quite large canals supplying water to the farms.
A small lake at one of the farm gardens.

[Maggi Young]

Binny Plants stock the Sinocalyanthus:
http://www.binnyplants.co.uk/catalogue.php?show=4946&search=sinocalycanthus
 .....sold in a 10 litre pot for £29.50 !
Binny Plants
Binny Estate
Ecclesmachan
West Lothian
EH52 6NL

Tel: 01506 858 931
Fax: 01506 858 155
Email: info@binnyplants.co.uk





And I think Karan Kunker sells it , too ....   http://www.junker.co.uk/  http://www.junker.co.uk/frames.htm

JUNKER'S NURSERY ORDER FORM
Lower Mead, West Hatch (Please print it out and fill it in)
Taunton, TA3 5RN 
Somerset, England 

Tel: (01823) 480774

[Lesley Cox]

I didn't photgraph the Calycanthus but I well remember the scent. A wonderful fruit salad smell, mixed paw-paw, pineapple, mango etc. Pure heaven it was and worth growing for that alone. If it comes up on Alouette's plant list, I'll be ordering one.

Here are a few more to go on with.


This large shrub wasn't labelled but my memory has come up with Syringa x Josiflexa `Bellicent.' A really pretty lilac, less heavy and solid-looking than the general run of hybrids.


Most of the larger Trillium plants were in cool, mixed borders and growing superbly. Susan has already mentioned the pea-straw which South Island gardeners use extensively. Worth its weight in gold, giving a loose, friable and humusy soil which all plants seem to love. It is the spent vines left after the harvesting of commercail peas and rots down quickly to a beautiful soft, crumbly texture.


The white trunked birches looked really good with a small lake in the background.


Easy to see why birch was used as paper.


Although it looks quite a natural feature, this lake inlet is probably a diversion from one of many irrigation channels in the mid Canterbury Plain.


The lake had lawn on the house side but a woodland planting on the far side. The young Gunnera will spread widely in coming months and years.


This tall jar was beautifully placed for a view across the lake. Close-up, we couldn't decide what it was made of; not ceramic and though it had a metallic sound when tapped, it was quite lightweight, and easily moved when pushed even a little bit. It was taller than I am (5ft 4").


The only picture I took all weekend with Tim in it, and that accidentally. He is the red spot in the distance and Ann Cartman is lurking behind the tree, talking to him.

[Lesley Cox]

Some smaller plants now.


We saw many erythroniums everywhere. They too love the peastraw compost. These are EE. revolutum and (probably) calif. `White Beauty.'






Couldn't resist some extra pics of E. hendersonii though they cost me muddy knees. Perhaps they weren't in the best place to photograph, against a brick house but they did look very good and were growing so well.


There were many Cassiope species as well, all flourishing. I was very surprised at how many cool plants were thriving, considering that the Canterbury Plain is frequently subject to strong, hot winds which in my garden at least (and I only get the edge of them) are real killers. These Methven gardeners must take really meticulous care of their plants in the difficult times.


Kalmiopsis leachiana, another fine cool lover. In the early eighties the late Jim Lecomte, when he and Jean owned Alouette Nursery, introduced a very good seedling which Jim called `Alouette.' I'm not sure whether or not this is it. For close to 20 years all the dwarf ericaceae which are currently in NZ were brought in by Jim and Jean. Almost nothing new since Jim's death and that supply of material is greatly missed.


I was really thrilled to see this delightful little Polygonum tenuicaule, one of my own imports but now lost to me through being over-grown. But Ann Cartman also has it and will bring it to the Study Weekend for me.


The gorgeous "Molly-the-Witch," Paeonia mlokosewitchii, with not quite enough warmth to open her lemon cup-shaped blooms. Well it WAS just after breakfast.




A superb plant of Daphne cneorum and in close-up. All this last batch of 10 were in the garden of Jenny Senior, a highly skilled lady who has Meconopsis quintuplinervia growing well, a triumph in itself, given the climate. I was delighted to be able to buy a couple.

[Lesley Cox]

A nice mix of trollius, trillium, hellebore, clematis, paeony, primula and rhododendron, all enjoying each other's company.


We saw several young trees of the gold-variegated form of the "Wedding Cake" cornus, Cornus controversa.


Fritillaria meleagris alba with primulas, paeonias and pulsatillas.


Massed Pulsatilla vulgaris. In some places the seeds had washed down from plants to become established along the lawn edges.


I liked this mixture of pink pulsatilla and brown Fritillaria pyrenaica.


This is for Fermi as we've been discussing little bearded irises recently, elsewhere. This is the Standard Dwarf Bearded Iris `Forest Glade,' appropriately named as we were in Forest Drive.