Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum

General Subjects => Plants Wanted Or For Exchange => Topic started by: KentGardener on January 11, 2010, 07:13:35 AM

Title: Wanted: weird or cristate Sempervivum
Post by: KentGardener on January 11, 2010, 07:13:35 AM
Hi All

Just wondering if anyone has any 'weird or crested' Sempervivum plants they could spare an offset from.  Or perhaps you could suggest to me the names of any 'strange ones' that I can then look out for.

I have 'Oddity' and 'Griggs Surprise' already and would love to add some more unusual looking ones to my little garden.

Many thanks

John   :)
Title: Re: Wanted: weird or cristate Sempervivum
Post by: maggiepie on January 11, 2010, 12:45:42 PM
I can't offer you any, John but I would like to see pics of the ones you have.
I'm just starting to get interested in sempervivums.

Title: Re: Wanted: weird or cristate Sempervivum
Post by: angie on January 11, 2010, 01:49:47 PM
I can't offer you any, John but I would like to see pics of the ones you have.
I'm just starting to get interested in sempervivums.


I was just thinking the same, would like to see some picitures please.
Angie :)
Title: Re: Wanted: weird or cristate Sempervivum
Post by: maggiepie on January 11, 2010, 02:27:13 PM
gmta Angie  ;D
Title: Re: Wanted: weird or cristate Sempervivum
Post by: pel1 on January 15, 2010, 07:39:14 PM
I took this photo at Wisley recently, they have some nice semps in and around the alpine house-and a few for sale too (not this one though, unfortunately) good luck wit your search, James
Title: Re: Wanted: weird or cristate Sempervivum
Post by: angie on January 15, 2010, 07:54:42 PM
James that's a lovely sempervivum wish I lived close to Wisley I would never be away from there. When I went down last year to the Hampton Court Flower show I visited Wisley. I thought it was amazing. The only bad thing was it was really heavy rain, so hopefully will get back this year and maybe it will be a sunny day. We came away with a car load of plants ;D
Angie :)
Title: Re: Wanted: weird or cristate Sempervivum
Post by: Arie.v on January 16, 2010, 11:47:07 AM
Interested in semps look at this website www.kket2000.com
and for a Canadian nursery Helen try www.cavendishperennials.com
Jack does mail order he lives close to me, and I have bought lots of semps from him, over 400 named varieties in stock
If you want some I can send some chicks of mine in the spring I have about 50 of his varieties I grow most of them in pots and overwinter them in a greenhouse minimum heat +2c
Title: Re: Wanted: weird or cristate Sempervivum
Post by: Lori S. on January 16, 2010, 03:06:26 PM
Why do you winter sempervivums indoors, Arie?  Are you growing species/varieties that are tender?  If so, what are they?  
Title: Re: Wanted: weird or cristate Sempervivum
Post by: maggiepie on January 16, 2010, 03:35:57 PM
Arie, thanks for the links.
Do you know if the cavendish site is going to be putting up any pics in the near future?
Secondly, can you post some pics of some of your plants? :)
Title: Re: Wanted: weird or cristate Sempervivum
Post by: Kristl Walek on January 16, 2010, 04:58:23 PM
John,
I might be able to send you some offsets across the ocean....my over 400 species/cultivar collection did accompany me on my move across Canada this summer. I have most of the "official" cristate/weird forms normally available---but more interestingly, have isolated a fair number of my own that began to form cristate offsets over the years. I have never quite understood why this happens---and whether the cristate form actually remains stable over time. I assume it is a genetic process (or is it environmental) or both?

I'll organize and plant all the semps this spring (most plunged for this winter) and see what I can come up with. Would you send me your address by personal email.

Kristl
Title: Re: Wanted: weird or cristate Sempervivum
Post by: Arie.v on January 16, 2010, 05:15:40 PM
Helen I don't think Cavendish is going to put up pictures I think he is ready to retire soon
And no I don't have any pictures right now I will take some this summer
Lori I have them in Clay pots and don't want to crack the pots in the Winter
I set the pots around the Garden in the summer in groups of three on the bare spots in the garden I also have a wall around the front yard and display them there
We get a lot of comments from people walking  or driving by where otherwise they don't see them
Title: Re: Wanted: weird or cristate Sempervivum
Post by: Kristl Walek on January 16, 2010, 05:42:28 PM
The interesting thing about reading this topic at this point in time, is that I had just recently been organizing some of my old pictures to move to an external hard drive---and found a series of pictures related to plant festivals I used to host on my property in Ontario for small growers of interesting plants to showcase their wares.

Jack and his wife (Cavendish) attended a couple of these---I am sure this picture of Jack and his booth was at least 10 years ago. I lost track of him the past few years, but was sure he had already retired before now. It was good to hear news that he is still active and out there in the universe.
Title: Re: Wanted: weird or cristate Sempervivum
Post by: KentGardener on January 17, 2010, 08:22:04 AM
Hi Kristl

Thank you very much for posting - I shall send you a PM.

Angie and Maggie - alas it would not be worth showing a photograph of my single rosettes.  A quick google search for either "sempervivum oddity" (which has little mouths at the end of each leaf  8))or 'sempervivum "grigg's surprise"' (each leaf if cylindrical rather than flat) should show the two 'monstrose' forms that I have already.

regards
Title: Re: Wanted: weird or cristate Sempervivum
Post by: cohan on January 19, 2010, 08:02:58 AM
Interested in semps look at this website www.kket2000.com
and for a Canadian nursery Helen try www.cavendishperennials.com
Jack does mail order he lives close to me, and I have bought lots of semps from him, over 400 named varieties in stock
If you want some I can send some chicks of mine in the spring I have about 50 of his varieties I grow most of them in pots and overwinter them in a greenhouse minimum heat +2c

i was pleased to see cavendish offering more species with locality data in the last catalogue, rather than just the hybrids that most places seem to focus on (of course he still offers far more hybrids/cultivars than species);
i hadn't heard he was about to retire, but had heard that he was going to do only wholesale...
Title: Re: Wanted: weird or cristate Sempervivum
Post by: fermi de Sousa on January 27, 2010, 07:29:06 AM

i hadn't heard he was about to retire, but had heard that he was going to do only wholesale...
That's a new one, Cohan, "Old Nurserymen never die, they just go Wholesale!"  ;D
cheers
fermi
Title: Re: Wanted: weird or cristate Sempervivum
Post by: cohan on January 27, 2010, 07:49:09 AM

i hadn't heard he was about to retire, but had heard that he was going to do only wholesale...
That's a new one, Cohan, "Old Nurserymen never die, they just go Wholesale!"  ;D
cheers
fermi

hah! i'm sure some old nurserymen might wish so ;)
Title: Re: Wanted: weird or cristate Sempervivum
Post by: renee on October 28, 2011, 09:36:13 AM
KentGardener, you can buy some odd plants like Fantasy (aka Fame Monstrose) Fuzzy Wuzzy etc here:

 http://www.semper-vivum.de/

I can only recomnd this nursrey, - I buy my semps there every year.
Title: Re: Wanted: weird or cristate Sempervivum
Post by: Maggi Young on October 28, 2011, 09:51:00 AM
Hi Renee ! I've  also heard good things about this nursery. 
Title: Re: Wanted: weird or cristate Sempervivum
Post by: KentGardener on October 30, 2011, 04:50:58 AM
Dear Renee

Many thanks for your reply.  I did try this nursery at the time, but they did not have any of the 'interesting' forms available to sell.  I shall try them again.

Once again - thank you for the information.

Kind regards

John
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