Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
Bulbs => Ian Young's Bulb Log - Feedback Forum => Topic started by: Ian Y on February 03, 2010, 03:26:07 PM
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The first few picture showing some of the delights that I found at Ashwood Nursery.
I will start with the Cyclamen House.
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Now for a few of those Cyclamen starting with C. alpinum followed by three great variations of foliage - all Cyclamen graecum I think, except the last one... with the very narrow arrow leaves ...which may be a C. hederifolium :-\
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Cyclamen also played a major role in providing some of the dramatic colour to their 'Winter Colour' display.
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Not of their raising, I don't think, were these very dramatic and colourful heathers.
Now before you go saying yuk not heathers I challange any one not to be impressed with these natural colour effects that we could have in our garden all winter.
Add a few choice Conifers and you do not have a classic 1970's rock garden but a bright colourful one worthy of the 2010's.
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Ian!!! You have me drooling over all those beautiful Cyclamen. Oh to have the space to display them so well. I have lots of plants all crammed together and not enough space to pot on young plants. That Cyclamen ? graecum with the narrow curly leaves is fascinating. Never seen anything like it.
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Ok now for one of the plants that Ashwood is really famous for - the Hellebores.
1) It was an open day with tours around behind the scenes with Vic Aspland explaining all about the breeding program.
2) Nobody I know is better at holding an audience than Vic as you can see.
3) Janet Aspland and Diane Clement, thank you to Diane who was my host and looked after me so well all weekend. Also to Janet and Vic Aspland for a personal tour of the behind scenes.
4 & 5) Views of the Hellebore house
6) You can buy these ones.
7) This yellow one is not for sale as it is a stock plant.
8) Another stock plant.
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Roma you would still be there as there was so much to see that was fascinating - you could have a working holiday behind the scenes.
Three pictures of the stock plant Hellebore 'Pink Ice'.
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And now for a selection of the wonderful range they have in their stock collection.
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The last selection along with the two bowls of blossoms that were also in the sales house.
Thank you to John Massey and everyone at Ashwood for a great visit.
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I loved the helping hands for the Hellebores perhaps someone could make a big business out of producing ceramic hands to do just that job in the garden it would be especially helpful for those try to photograph Hellebores.
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I agree with Roma about the fascinating foliage on the 3rd ?graecum plant. Would love to have that one.
And OH GOD, the hellebores. Words can't express...... 8)
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I loved the helping hands for the Hellebores perhaps someone could make a big business out of producing ceramic hands to do just that job in the garden it would be especially helpful for those try to photograph Hellebores.
Those were the helpful hands of Vic Aspland holding the flowers for me Shelagh.
I can be pretty rude about a lot of hybrids especially doubles but these guys have great taste and only the best, clean and tidy specimens pass into the breeding line.
Lesley that plant did not have a species label so it may not be graecum it could be a hederifolium which might make more sense of the bizarre shape - it is different.
Words really cannot describe the Hellebores and the quality of the sales plants is exceptional as well. Not cheap but I would say brilliant value for the money.
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I'd guess that the unusual-leafed cyclamen is a hederifolium as Ian suggests---a variation on one of the sagittate-leafed forms....
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I visited Ashwoods back in November and was lucky to be taken around the cyclamen houses by the guy who does the breeding of cyclamen and auriculas. I'm fairly certain that he told me that the cyclamen with the unusual leaf shape was a graecum.
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Brian Ellis has just told me to come and have a look at this thread. Wow! :o 8)
It's been said before..... loving that unusual leaf on the hederifolium - just the sort of thing I would grab if if I spotted it on a sales bench.
And the Hellebores - just lovely. :P
Thanks for this post Ian.
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I want to know about that field of toy sheep.
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What a fantastic record of your visit to Ashwood Ian - everything looks in the peak of health and the displays are wonderful with just enough space around each pot to show it off and set it apart from the rest. The greenhouse looks like an Olympic swimming pool 'swimming' with cyclamen - so many lovely leaf forms..and the Hellebores are really cool 8)
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Thanks for taking us along on this stroll Ian !
It really IS a place full of magic isn't it - always has been ! :o
Pity we couldn't make it "in the flesh" on Sunday morning, but this thread really is second best to being there !
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I want to know about that field of toy sheep.
Diane, they were fantastic I think that the dusting of snow just set them off beautifully. I suspect that one or two would not have such an impactr you need a flock.
More pictures for you below.
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Lovely pics on wonderful plants 8) :o
Is there a chance that You also took pics on the hepaticas? They might be in flower now and are such a joy to see.
Kind regards
Joakim
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Not Hepatica season yet, Joakim :'(
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Not Hepatica season yet, Joakim :'(
Don't be sad Maggi - this might have been a good thing for the general financial situation of the household... ;D ;)
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Thanks for the Info Maggi
I thought that it might be too early due to the colder weather but since the web page of Ashwood talks about February to March as prime time I thought there might be some (if they are grown indoors). So then Ian has one more reason to return to Ashwood.
Kind regards
Joakim
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'Pink Ice' is a stunner. For me it is the first Helleborus hybrid with Hellborus thibetanus involved (nigercors x thibetanus according Ashwood) which I noticed.
Ian, Thank you for showing it.
Gerd
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Ian, thank you for all the reports from Ashwood: I thought the hellebores especially,incredibly beautiful and a triumph of the plant breeder's art.
However what brought me to the keyboard was your wondering in Log 5 what best to do with young seedlings at this time of year when we are experiencing such challenging weather for that really rang a bell. In September I planted some several pots of narcissi seed, four of which germinated in November and which I removed to the relative shelter of my lean-to plunge -relative shelter because it is open to the weather on three sides. Then came a succession of really cold spells and the seedlings look very sad indeed and I expect that all four pots have succumbed to the bitter cold. With an improvement in the weather more pots which sat out the intense cold with a covering of snow have germinated and look bonny. In the plunge none of my frits is showing any sign of movement yet in the garden today I found four through the ground with one in bud.
I am going to have to modify the plunge with removeable glass on the three open sides and invest in an underground heating cable but I also wonder if I would do better to plant my seeds later in the hopes that they might germinate during more clement weather.
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Not Hepatica season yet, Joakim :'(
Try telling that to Edrom, the had quite a few in flower today at Loughborough, along with the usual eyewatering price tags :P
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Jim
These unusual weather conditions will always challenge our plants.
I am not sure that I would advise sowing your seed too much later but perhaps you could sow in October.
Most frits and Narcissus seem to have a requirement for a cold period before germination so ours tend not to germinate too early and when the do I move them under protection.
My experiments show that Frit and Narcissus seed sown in September/October gives me the best germination - if sown too late, from December on, it gives a sporadic germination or it may well not germinate until the following spring.
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Well, it's a funny old world, as someone said.... and it's also getting smaller by the minute....... we've just had a charming email from a new Forum Member, Judtih, who passes on this message to Ian, from the guys at Ashwoods.... nothing odd in that,by itself... but Judith is a nurserywoman in Virginia, USA.....
so the message has come from the Midlands of England to North East Scotland, via an American state ....such fun!
[attachimg=1]
Ian thought it was a graecum, then he wasn't sure..... now we learn this, thanks to Judith....
If you know Ian Young tell him Cyclamen 3 in the images on his blog is of a
Cyclamen graecum. It must be a mutant because it is reluctant to set seed
and any seed that has emerged has reverted back. Philip Burden, our cyclamen
grower will keep trying to reproduce his plant even though Philip Baulk
doesn't really like it.
USA members likely already know Judith and her Family.... http://www.pineknotfarms.com/ (http://www.pineknotfarms.com/)
and their assorted publications, such as ...
http://www.timberpress.com/books/hellebores/burrell/9780881927658 (http://www.timberpress.com/books/hellebores/burrell/9780881927658)
and
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/images/0982077106/ref=dp_image_0?ie=UTF8&n=283155&s=books (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/images/0982077106/ref=dp_image_0?ie=UTF8&n=283155&s=books)
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Ian,
Thank you for your reply which as always is most helpful. I think I might just try October as you suggest. We have had two cold winters on the trot which might/might not be a manifestation of climate change or just the weather being cyclic.
It goes on being very cold here and we have just experienced our fifth snowfall this winter and the garden looks very sad.