Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
General Subjects => General Forum => Topic started by: mark smyth on December 09, 2006, 10:03:52 AM
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In the SRGC seed list two forms of white Daphne mezereum are listed. One is a dwarf form. Can anyone tell me about the dwarf form? How small? Conditions etc
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Mark-the following is an extract from "Daphnes A Practical Guide for Gardeners" by Robin White Pub. Timber Press 2006.
" Daphne mezereum Dwarf Forms"
"Plants growing above the treeline in mountainous areas are often of much smaller stature than lowland forms, and are sometimes referred to as var. alpina, a name which has not been validated. Seed from a plant of this type which I brought back from the Kamnick Alps produced plants which maintained their dwarf characters in cultivation; even when grafted on D.mezereum, plants did not exceed 45cm. Since little growth was made, not many flowers were produced, so I rate this as a form with botanical interest only.
I have recently received material of a free flowering alpine form from Mike and Polly Stone, propriotors of Askival Nursery. The seed of this was collected near Presolana, in Northern Italy. The plant they grow is now 1.2m across but only 45cm high"
Pity that Robin White did not include the flower colour in his second paragraph quoted above.
Earlier in his main paragraphs on D.mezereum he refers to a White flowered form "forma alba" as a selection from E A Bowles' garden circa 1903 but says this was of a vigorous upright habit.
Not sure if this answers your question really but hope it helps a little.
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Mark,
White form really is not rare in nature. Robin White says it has yellow berries. And I could confirm this. Furthermore it is true from seed.
I’ve never seen compact form. D. mesereum. It does not mean it does not exist, of course. Viewed at Caucasus treeline was taller and more vigorous then in Moscow forests. Wish I travel to select white and other forms… I heard double form exists.
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Would anyone have seeds or seedlings of the white form it looks good. Thanks for the input
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Hi Mark,
My Daphne mezereum 'Alba' is a young plant and I don't know how big it is going to be when it is 'grown up'. But just now it is not even 45 cm high. I have not collected any seed this year - and, yes, the berries are yellow. But if you still would like some next fall, please let me know. Otherwise I could send cuttings.
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Hannelotte next year is OK but if you look around the base of your plant this years seeds will just lying there like they were on my normal pink flowered plant
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Sorry, Mark, I live 300 km from my garden and I am not going to return until spring. >:(
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Mike, I need your address. Went into my own garden with a flashlight and found a seedling of the white Daphne. The motherplant is about 10 years old and 60 cm high. The plants is in a plastic bag and want to be send to you.
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By Mike you mean me?
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:-[ Sorry. Of course Mike Mark. I do mix upp names. A very bad habit, but I never forget a face.
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An early Christmas present arrived today. Thanks Gerben
Lucky chap, i wish i could get Gerben as an early present!!M
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I'm glad the present arrived, Mark. Happy Christmas.
How would you like to get me Maggi?
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Any which way, Gerben... beggars can't be choosers!!
Merry Christmas, Friend!! M
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I'm guessing maggi is holding back to save on blushes and should carry on the conversion privately!
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I'll need some time to think.
Merry Christmas to you and Ian. Love you both. ;)
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Here is a photo of the lovely Tjeerdsma Family: sweet and kind, every one of them!
[attach=1]
Although some are not so cuddlesome as others:
[attach=2]
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Hannelotte, how can you bear to live so far from your garden? I guess it's under snow for much of the winter and therefore not of any practical use at this time. But surely you have a little bit closer to your home with a few pots, troughs or something. I have to live right in my garden all year round so that I can nip out to look st the seed frame each morning and so put off doing the dishes until later.
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Sweet and kind and SLIM Maggi, I'm wildly envious. But I think the piggy looks cuddlesome too.
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Yes, Lesley, the Tjeerdsmas are an exceedingly slim bunch but we love them anyway.... they remind me of Ian, who can fall down rain gutters he's so skinny.I was like that once... ah, the memories! But, as you know, I've grown out of it since.... but you see the attraction of the handsome and gallant Gerben?
PS I think the pig may get fatter!!
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There are many attractions in the horticultural community in Sweden, and I do not confine myself to comment about the quality oftheir plants, undoubted though that most assuredly is... no, I'm talking good-looking young men... something a woman of my age can be considered an expert in spotting... I suppose if I were a man admiring young women I'd be arrested... but here are two more of Gothenburg's finest gardeners; Johan and Peter
[attach=1]
Peter is married, too...sigh!
Not that we haven't handsome men in the UK, here are some of my favourites from a recent SRGC weekend: Firstly, John Page, Jack Brownless and Ian the Christie Kind
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Ian (I'm still skinny) Young and John (Big John) Amand, seen here with the vivacious Jenny Archibald.
[attach=3]
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I do indeed see the attraction Maggi. Isn't it great to be getting on in years. We can get away with saying all sorts of things we couldn't when still young and attractive ourselves (I speak ONLY for myself here).
Gerben reminds me a lot of the lovely Tim in OZ, at whose party I would be sloshing it back tonight, if only I didn't have to work at 6am tomorrow. But Tim has promised to have several drinks for me which is great because I won't get the hangover.
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Meant to add that it's a pleasure to have pics like those above so that overseas members can put faces to names, though I don't recall Jenny as being quite so jolly when she was here a couple of years ago, Must be the company she's keeping.
And incidentally, I don't recall saying at any time that I actually MADE the cake. Did I?
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here's the Daphne. I little wounded by it's travels. It somehow got stuck in a corner of it's box and ended up with a bad bend.
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Mark, I'm sure it will survive. It took a long time for the package arrive I think. It should normally take three days, must be all these Christmas cards.
Well anyway, good luck with the plant. Here you have a picture of the mother.
MAGGI, LESLEY stop it. You should see my face, like a red Dutch greenhouse tomato. No wrong, my face was red. My wife and daughter where screaming when they saw the picture on the website. I told them that just a few people are reading this site, or am I wrong Ian? Now they want to eat more but the cuddle friendly pig, named Astrid, is eating everything.
And Maggi don't take Johan and Peter away from us, hands off.