Recent Posts

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Blogs and Diaries / Re: my local patch and wildlife - Ian McDonald

« Last post by ian mcdonald on June 30, 2025, 09:50:57 PM »

There are moorland fires to the West of us. They have been burning since Saturday and are thought to have been started by someone with a camp fire. Although some 20? miles away the prevailing Westerly wind is blowing smoke over to our area.



I found two small patches of Lesser Meadow-rue by the river bank. A first record for the 10km square.



Small Dryads Saddle fungi are on a Sycamore by the river.



Field Pennycress is growing in the corner of a barley crop.



Dotted Loosestrife is growing down by the river under bushes.

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NARCISSUS / Re: NARCISSUS 2025

« Last post by Mike Ireland on June 29, 2025, 09:45:29 PM »

Absolutely wonderful display of your remarkable hybrids.

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Flowers and Foliage Now / Re: June 2025 in the Northern Hemisphere

« Last post by Mike Ireland on June 29, 2025, 09:38:24 PM »

Well, Mike, I was admiring the Clematis fremontii - then I saw the Sarmienta repans - crikey and double crikey! What fantasic flowering!!

Maggie the sarmienta are now so large it's going to soon be quite a problem to repot them, also not sure whether the "ally" trays will take much more weight.
3 very large clay pots on 2 shallow trays, could be whoops soon.

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NARCISSUS / Re: NARCISSUS 2025

« Last post by Maggi Young on June 29, 2025, 05:17:55 PM »

WOW!!

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Flowers and Foliage Now / Re: June 2025 in the Northern Hemisphere

« Last post by Mariette on June 29, 2025, 02:59:32 PM »

Thank You, Jeff, this may be a hint where these are handy. In the case of my son, it was just oak and spruce of his logs.

Knud, thanks so much for the pics of Your Sorbus filipes fruits! Browsing, I found them described as white, but the colour of Yours is equally special as that of the flowers!

It´s surprising that Embothrium coccineum flourishes so far up in the North! It became a tree many tried to grow in the eighties and nineties, having seen it in flower in Great Britain. At that time, most failed to be successful, even in my part of the world, which belongs to the mildest regions of Germany.

Mike, the white form of Clematis fremontii is especially beautiful! The urn-shape of the flowers looks much more impressing!

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NARCISSUS / Re: NARCISSUS 2025

« Last post by annew on June 29, 2025, 01:38:26 PM »

FINALLY! Our new daffodils are completed by two eye-opening little seedlings:
RE-ENTRY 7 Y-Y
This selection from N. rupicola never fails to make me smile when it ‘does its thing’ imitating a space capsule re-entering the atmosphere, with the fiery trail flaring back from the point of entry. Although not all flowers will perform in a given year, when they do they are remarkable for the reflexed perianth AND corona, in the species’ brightest yellow and with one of my favourite daffodil perfumes. The precision of the six-lobed corona and delicately mucronate perianth tips is appealing even in the unreflexed form. This is definitely one to watch once the buds start to appear.
Last but definitely not least - REET PETITE 6 W-Y
Some of you will know our little Sweet Petite, a customer favourite. When I showed a friend its sister, he laughingly said "So that one is Reet Petite?" The name stuck. So here she is, and in the immortal words of Jackie Wilson, “Rrrrr Reet Petite the finest girl you ever want to meet”.
While Sweet Petite is demure and unassuming, Reet Petite is more like a show-girl, with her ample perianth flung back and flamboyantly frilled corona. Shy and retiring she is not!
Perfectly miniature and in proportion (I hesitate to mention vital statistics at this point), she will not be ignored on the showbench. Along with her looks, there is the rich perfume to add to her allure.

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NARCISSUS / Re: NARCISSUS 2025

« Last post by annew on June 29, 2025, 01:36:50 PM »

Not finished yet! I chipped A LOT of things in 2022, which are just now making nice potfuls 
Customer-favourite cyclamineus hybrids are not forgotten in our debutantes:
BABY GANNET 6 W-W/Y
Bred From Snipe x Candlepower, Baby Gannet is named for similarity of the colouring of the corona to that of a gannet, grading gradually from lemon at the mouth to white at the base. The perianth is gracefully reflexed, overlapping at the base, while the corona flares gently to a frill at the mouth. Flowering at only 14cm high, it is small enough for miniature classes, and as a bonus, has a light, fresh scent.
POLAR WIND 6 W-W
Bred from Mitzy x Keira hybrid KB-M-1-2007, this is a favourite here for its strongly swept back, sharply pointed perianth. Flowering at 12cm high, it usually opens straight away as a clean white colour, and the long, straight corona is expanded at the mouth into jagged lobes. The whole spiky effect suggested an icy name! I need to bulk this up another year before I can offer any.
LITTLE ENGLAND 6 Y-Y
Bred from ‘Englander’ × Kiera hybrid KB/M/1/98, this elegant cyclamineus hybrid is shorter at 15cm high than its mother, the perianth is more gently reflexed, and the corona longer and gradually expanded towards the flared mouth. As the bright yellow flowers expand, they rise above the erect leaves. At 60mm wide across the spread perianth, it is too large to show as a miniature.

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Flowers and Foliage Now / Re: June 2025 in the Southern Hemisphere

« Last post by fermi de Sousa on June 29, 2025, 10:38:39 AM »

The first flower (as far as I know - it'd be easy to miss) of Androcymbium ciliolatum (now considered Colchicum  capense ssp  ciliolatum).
Seed from AGS Seedex 2008, sown 17-05-2008.
First seedlings: 13-08-2011.
First flower: ~28-06-2025.
cheers
fermi

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Flowers and Foliage Now / Re: June 2025 in the Northern Hemisphere

« Last post by Jeffnz on June 28, 2025, 11:19:50 PM »

Mariette
Pine needle compost should also increase soil acidity.

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NARCISSUS / Re: NARCISSUS 2025

« Last post by Maggi Young on June 28, 2025, 05:05:46 PM »

Crumbs! I'm nearly speechless - and that almost never happens!! Anne, I didn't think you could come up with so many new beauties - they are truly lovely.Well done!!