Bulb log visits Ashwood

[Diane Whitehead]

I want to know about that field of toy sheep.

[Ragged Robin]

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

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Thanks for taking us along on this stroll Ian !
It really IS a place full of magic isn't it - always has been !

Pity we couldn't make it "in the flesh" on Sunday morning, but this thread really is second best to being there !

[Ian Y]

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.

[Joakim B]

Lovely pics on wonderful plants 
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

[Maggi Young]

Not Hepatica season yet, Joakim   

[Luc Gilgemyn]

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...   

[Joakim B]

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

[Gerdk]

'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

[james willis]

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.

[Martinr]

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

[Ian Y]

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.

[Maggi Young]

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!



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/   
and their assorted  publications, such as ...
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

[james willis]

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.