Desert Island Seeds

[Lesley Cox]

I think you could take any plants you want, regardless of their needs. After all, if it were discs, you could take Mozart AND Madonna.

[Tim Ingram]

Sue - how far do you live from Bob and Rannveig Wallis? I've never seen their garden but they are plantspeople extraordinaire... I did visit Jim and Jenny Archibald's garden several times and when I was able to detach myself from the greenhouses their garden was full of exciting things, even with, or maybe because of, 60" of rain annually. Lots of dwarf rhodos. If I lived in your climate I think I would certainly grow many of these dwarf ericaceous species that Barry Starling is so famous for - beautiful and yet understated flowers and often super autumn colours. Now I'm not sure whether we should move to Scotland or Wales...!

[Maggi Young]

Sue, the Wallises live in  Porthyrhyd, Carmarthen, Wales SA32 8BP  ......

[johnw]

If I lived in your climate I think I would certainly grow many of these dwarf ericaceous species that Barry Starling is so famous for - beautiful and yet understated flowers and often super autumn colours.

I'll second that. Barry was here a couple of years ago and floored us his talks on his lepidote hybrids and the new xPhylliopsis selections.  And then there are the Menzesias!  We have a few of his hybrids but would love to try them all.  They seem well-suited to this climate too.

Maggi - Any tricks with anthopogon, seems difficult to establish here?

I'd do the Petiolaris Primulas, Grandia and lepidote rhodos, shortias and the megaherbs but does it have to be a desert island? Sorry but I never travel light.  

johnw

[Maggi Young]

Maggi - Any tricks with anthopogon, seems difficult to establish here?

John,I follow my usual method with rhodos... plant 'em and hope for the best. Not at all a scientific approach, I'm afraid, but with such a limited space and not enough hours in the day, it's the best I can do. That and the prayers to the great rhododendron god in the sun.

These little guys seem to be reasonably happy here. Have to keep the Tropaeolum speciosum off them and the Arisaemas out of them and give them a fairly sunny spot( this is Aberdeen remember) and a good drink in hot weather.
Must admit they do not flower so well now as they used to. Our changing weather is not to their taste.... I cannot say I blame them. 

[Maggi Young]

... Barry Starling..... And then there are the Menziesias!

Which I haven't seen.... much to my regret.  I would love to see what he has achieved with them.

[johnw]

Have to keep the Arisaemas out of them

So lucky. Reminds me of the Stones complaining the Pyrolas were seeding in their Shortia beds.

johnw

[johnw]

... Barry Starling..... And then there are the Menziesias!

Which I haven't seen.... much to my regret.  I would love to see what he has achieved with them.

Time to have him as a speaker!

johnw

[Maggi Young]

... Barry Starling..... And then there are the Menziesias!

Which I haven't seen.... much to my regret.  I would love to see what he has achieved with them.

Time to have him as a speaker!

johnw

Well ain't that the truth... Ian and I have been saying for ages it is too long since he was up to Scotland......

[Maggi Young]

Have to keep the Arisaemas out of them

So lucky. Reminds me of the Stones complaining the Pyrolas were seeding in their Shortia beds.

johnw

Yes... now that is a problem I'd quite like to have.......

[peter hood]

Sue,
Lovely idea, but you must despair of getting ideas about plants. I think most of us would prefer desert island plants, because seeds have problems:
Some plants take a mighty long time from seeds.
Some plants are almost impossible from seed. Though someone will prove us wrong.
Named hybrids will not come true from seed - they might be better but they are usually not quite as good.
My list has seven which are must haves for my garden - and three to dream of.
Of course next year, next week, tomorrow even the list would be different.
1. I would start, like so many with a Pulsatilla - I think the Garden forms of Pulsatilla vulgaris are still the best (Not the ones with highly divided petals either)
two gardens ago I had the standard blue violet form - great; in my last garden the red form P.vulgaris rubra - better, in my current garden white Pulsatilla vulgaris alba - sumptuous.
2. Callianthemum anemonoides - better if you can choose a plant in flower - but most plants from seed are good.
3. I agree with a Geranium - but I think I would choose cinereum - not cinereum subcaulescens though it is a fine but gaudy flower (the MESE form is nice.) - not garden hybrids like Ballerina which are too robust, but the form that grows in the Pyrenees.
 4. Eryngium bourgatii - Electic blue, late in the year, with memories from the mountains.
Have to stop now -so the rest will come later.    Peter

[SueStephens]

Tim, I live about 25 miles from Porthyrhyd, but I hadn't heard of the Wallises - being such a newbie...

Peter, every year I spend far too much money on seeds and many of them come to nothing and every year I tell myself to buy plants instead. But I just cant help myself, I just love seeds. It's as though on Boxing Day a switch is thrown and I go into 'seed mode'. This year I will be sowing about 200 species - I had planned about 100 ... Then I discovered alpines.

Sue

[Maggi Young]

Sue : sending you a personal message.....

[peter hood]

Back with some more Sue;
5. A Silver saxifrage - in fact lots of them; If there was only one it would be Saxifraga callosa; Running it close (as plants not seed) would be a good Southside group plant, or Canis dalmaticus - the spotty dog.
6. A Gentian. For me it would be tempting to choose verna which grows so well in Upper Teesdale; but it always disappoints me in the garden; Gentiana Acaulis is my choice, even though, gardeniong on Limestone I grow it in tubs and pots. Remember to keep plants coming from seed because they seem to flower best when fairly young.
7. A Porphyrion Saxifrage: I notice we have already had the suggestion of Saxifraga oppositifolia, if we are growing from seed that is good. I certainly would enjoy memories of Ingleborough and Pen y Ghent. I have to grow all this group where they get a bit more care because if they dry out at the roots, they burn badly. perhaps as a species to grow from seed I would go for Sax. dinnikii (More care needed!) I grew lots of hybrids and if I could choose named hybrids would probably choose Lismore Carmine though I enjoy very much John Byam-Grounds.
8. A terresrial orchid. I'm getting into fantasy land here - assuming there will be sterile lab. conditions on our Island! Even if I had them, I probably wouldn't manage to grew them from seed. I was tempted to say Epipactis atrorubens, which grows well in a quarry near here ( I do find Epipactis gigantea is a good garden plant) but I would choose Ophrys apifera -I have so many memories - and last year found a colony of about 100 plants within a mile of my house. A week later, Sunderland City Council mowed most of them off.
9. My final two plants would have to be Primulas - I'm not going to choose easy garden plants, though there are plent oflovely ones. First Primula wollastonii - though it would be a better plant if I could keep it for longer.
10. Finally - and now we probably need a Frame or Alpine house unless the Island has a superb climate - You would certainly need to keep it dry in West Wales -would be Primula bracteata. My dream plant would be one of the gorgeous yellow ones which, as far as I know, is not in cultivation. There are some lovely pictures on Pam Eveleigh's Primula World website

I think that gives a few Ideas and a bit of fantasy. Peter

And now a few pictures...

[maggiepie]

Beautiful pics and beautiful plants, Peter.
The white pulsatilla is breathtaking.
 I thought my P. vernalis was the ant's pants.

Eryngium bourgatii, how big does it get?
Have never seen it before.