Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
Bulbs => Ian Young's Bulb Log - Feedback Forum => Topic started by: Maggi Young on April 20, 2007, 11:07:46 AM
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Bulb Log No. 16 of 20/04/07 is on site now, thanks to the return of Fast Fred ! Thanks Fred !
http://www.srgc.org.uk/bulblog/log2007/200407/log.html
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Remind me to grow more erythroniums. Those hybrids are stunning. I look forward to Ian's bulb list :)
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Unfortunately I was unable to travel to Dublin to hear Ian speak last night, very disappointed. On another occasion hopefully.
The erythroniums look fabulous.
Has Ian given details of how he goes about dividing his erythroniums?
Paddy
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All erythroniums are beautiful... but it is true that some of these hybrids are exceptionally pretty and if they are easier to bulk up than some of the species, then they are more valuable for garden use.
I do see why the BD is so obsessed with Erys.... there is just something captivating about them.. the combination of leaf markings and the elegant flowers... just lovely. You can spend hours kneeling in worship before them, studying them for minor differences that delight the eye....ooh! now that sounds a bit familiar, where have I heard of that sort of behaviour earlier in the season...... eek! it's like white fever! Nah ! It's much better than that! 8) ::) 8)
Ian has probably covered dividing them in a log somewhere, Paddy, though I can't think offhand. Main point from my perspective is to excavate the clump very carefully because they are always deeper than you imagine and most are rather brittle and too easy to break.
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In the garden we would lift and divide Erythroniums as the leaves are going back, probably June, most years because in July we are repotting. Those that we grow in the fish box troughs are much easier to deal with since the whole contents of the box may be tipped out into a wheelbarrow and the bulbs gently separated with little or no damage. This can be done in late June or July, whenever we have the time, really! We then tend to just lay the bulbs back into the box, with a soil covering until we have completed the repotting and made any sales of surplus... then everything is replanted by the end of August, ready for another year.
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Hi All,
I am passing some time in Dublin Airport waiting for my flight back to Aberdeen.
I will cover splitting erythroniums again this year Anthony as I have a lot of clumps that should have been spilt a few years ago and I have not found the time - this year I must get them done.
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I seem to remember you tipping out a pot of erythroniums Ian and challenging us to fit them back into it!?
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It is the same as when you dig a hole and then fill it in again there is always some soil left over but extra erythroniums are much better than surplus soil ;)
Only six minutes left on my internet connection.
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Only six minutes left on my internet connection.
Well, in that case, I am too late to wish you a pleasant journey home!
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I am still here, I found another euro lurking in my purse.
Can't wait to get home to see my Maggi, Lily and the erythroniums.
This will be my last message from Dublin.
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I'm just sitting here gazing at a boxer dog dashing across the Antonine Wall (grassy bank) after a frizbee and wondering how Lily is getting on after her op?
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Hi All
My first post. I'm lucky enough to have erythronium joanna so I thought I'd share a pic
Regards,
Rob
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Very pretty Rob and welcome to the Forum. Does this one change colour with age?
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Hi
When the flower first opens the pink isn't very obvious. As the flower ages the pink spreads on both the front & back of the petals.
Rob
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Joanna is super, Rob, glad you have her!
I think the pink gets more pronounced on Joanna as "time goes on" , Anthony.... I prefer not to use the term "ages" when discussing females!
I have just been out for a short walk with the bucketed Lily: her eye looks pretty gruesome but her spirit is good, trot is jaunty and tail sywards! These are good signs! She has been missing Ian more this trip, because she is poorly, than she did when he was in Shetland. I guess there are just times when a girl needs her Dad!
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Here is the patient, very subdued again, having returned for her walk to find that there is still no Bulb Despot to greet her... not even a toy can cheer her up !
[attachthumb=1]
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Glad to have you posting, Rob! Where are you, somewhere in the UK?
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Hi Maggi
I've filled in my signature to show Midlands, UK.
I'm in Hereford, so I'm hoping to get to the spring show at Malvern next month as it's not too far away.
Rob
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Excellent, now we can picture where you are when you start moaning about the weather... which I'm sure will be sooner rather than later, gardening being what it is! Good idea to put Midlands rather than Hereford, I'm in the UK and hopeless ::)( Malvern seems "south" to me, must go check the map! :P )but we have so many overseas forumists that they will aprreciate the placing, too.
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Malvern seems "south" to me, must go check the map!
Just had a look at the map.... Hereford is just about where I thought it was but I imagined Malvern to be much further south. Heigh ho! So much for my knowledge of the English counties!
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I prefer Craigton cover girl to a lot of other cover girls !!! ;D
She's a real stunner !
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Ian, what a delight it is to see your stunning Erythronium. :o Thank you
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What a hectic week first my trip up to Shetland for my Exhibition and then off to Dublin for a talk.
Here are a few pictures of my Dublin trip, I will get around to Shetland during the weekend.
The bed outside the Lecture Theatre at Glasnevin Botanic Garden was a stunning sight even in the fading evening light, and as Mark says the colour was matched by the fantastic scent.
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Glad you enjoyed the Erythroniums Franz, there may be more in next weeks log.
Billy Moore and his wife Anne were my very generous hosts for my stay and Billy kindly drove me around and arranged for me to visit Mount Usher Garden and also Helen Dillon's Garden.
Both very different but equally impressive in their own unique style.
Mount Usher is full of wonderful trees and shrubs many of which were new to me and Helen's garden is a master class in design and colour. Even though Helen kept apologising for the garden being out of season it looked wonderful and full of colour to me, I can imagine what it must look like when it is in full flower.
My sincere thanks to Billy for driving me and to Helen and Mount Usher for opening especially for me and the personal guided tours.
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Whew, the Bulb Log has finally arrived! Thanks Ian. Being deprived of the new installment for two days shows how important the Bulb Log is to our weekly routine!
Interesting to hear how good your weather has been for Erythronium flowering, they really are at their best on warm dry days. Doesn't it seem that Erythroniums are especially susceptible to varying their appearance depending upon the weather? In my experience it is not just whether or not the flowers are wet from rain, but also the morphology (and especially how reflexed the tepals become) seems to vary depending upon the temperature, sunshine, relative humidity, or other factors. Warm and dry is best.
Unfortunately here in Oregon we have been going through a relatively cool wet spell after a nice warm start to spring, so our Erythronium displays have not been nearly as satisfying as yours in Scotland. But there is always next year!
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Ian, very nice garden impressions. I like the picture of Mount Usher River. That reminds me to purchase a licence for fly fishing - season for trouts started...
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Ian,
Ian, glad to see you visited two excellent gardens while on your visit to Dublin.
Mount Usher has the advantage of that river setting and the planting makes the most of the situation, an excellent garden to visit at any time of the year, great tree interest especially.
Helen Dillon has been an inspiration to Irish gardeners, and certainly to me, for many years. She always extends the warmest of welcomes and refuses to allow one leave empty handed. My garden has many many plants whose labels read 'ex H.D.' and these are plants that I will always treasure for their association with Helen and because they remind of the generosity of a great gardener and plantsperson. OK, as you can see I am a big fan.
Hope you enjoyed both gardens as much as I always have.
Paddy
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The last photo of the spring bed at Glasnevin shows the wonderful Tulip 'Queen of Sheeba'. I feel a spring bedding display happening in my tiny patch. At least one person was very impressed with Ian's enthusiasm.
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My goodness, Mark, you had me worried there... I thought for a second you meant ONLY one person was impressed with Ian's enthusiasm... now I see you write, "at least one"...I nearly thought the Boy was losing his touch!
He is full of tales of the lovely gardens and kindness shown to him on his visit, he had a great time with you all. Special thanks to Anne and Billy Moore for their hospitality and generosity with their time, it is much appreciated.
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Ian,I am really envious of your erythroniums as I am sure most people are.The images are fantastic.Being a newcomer tom the forum I am still working through all of your previous logs and find them most informative.I have sown lots of seed over the years and also scattered it in situ.but without achieving your results,but I am still persevering.Alas,Father Time will probably beat me before I get there.As a matter of interest I have'nt seen any mention of E.Harvington Snowgoose.I acquired this two years ago and I wondered whether you know of it's origin.It is a very nice thing.
I enclose some pics.for your perusal.
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John, Ian is tucked up in bed, being a Bulb Despot is tiring work and he enjoys his sleep.... but he will be delighted by your comments when he reads them tomorrow. What a coincidence, as Martin Walsh, in Irleand, was asking Ian about that very erythronium, E.Harvington Snowgoose the other day/ We do not have the plant but it seems a handsome thing. Ian will be interested in your photos, have you had it long? Is it a robust plant which increases well?
I know it is a form or hybrid of E. californicum and I understand it has been fairly recently introduced. Don't know much more than that Harvey's Plants introduced it.Not sure if Ian knows more than this or not!
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John
Keep going with the erythroniums and you will soon have them seeding everywhere.
Thanks for the detailed pictures of E.Harvington Snowgoose - I only heard of it the other day and was not sure what its parentage was.
From your pictures it looks for all the world like a form of E. oregonum all be it with pale anthers.
I would love to know more of its origin and parentage. If it does increase well this is very unusual for E. oregonum and very very desirable.
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Maggie & Ian'
Many thanks for your comments.I can't believe that there is an erythronium that Ian hasn't got.My experience with it is only in pots at the moment but it has certainly performed very well up to now and appears to be a strong grower.I can't comment on it's power to increase as I have'nt yet examined below.I have about six bulbs and will take a picture of the group to give you some idea of it's performance.If you are interested I would be happy to swap one for one of your specials.
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John, this can be arranged!
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Still catching up (faint but persuing) on the many "new topics" posted while I was away and have yet to look at the last couple of bulb logs but obviously there's a treat in store for me. All the comments about erythroniums are most welcome and interesting. It's true that when there is a reasonably sized and well established planting, new seedlings appear that have great merit. Our very own `Ruapuna Dawn,' (from Joan Whillans) is a case in point.
Paddy, not only the Irish and the Brits have experienced Helen Dillon's generosity. There are several plants in my own patch whose lables say "ex H D."
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Thanks for that Ian.I took a few more pics. albeit not in the best conditions but it may give you a better idea of the plant than the previous pics.
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I have turned your pix the right way up, john! Ian will see them in the morning. Can you give an idea of the height of the flowering stems and size of the leaves?
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Thanks Maggie,I will measure them in the morning.
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Ian, these are my pots of seedlings.The earliest were sown in 04.Should I plant out the whole pot or separate them to plant in the open ground?
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Ian, this transformation was inspired from something I read on one of your bulb logs.You talked about recovering ground from beneath you rhodos.for planting erythroniums.These weren't rhodos of course but three massive osmanthus that had dominated an island bed created thirty-five years ago.What a transformation,I can't wait to get planting.Guess what?
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I would wait another year before you disturb your pots of Erythronium seedlings, plenty feeding with potassium will help them grow. If you do want to plant them into your newly recovered space then wait until the leaves die back tip the pot out seperate the small bulbs and dot them around singly - be sure to plant them nice and deep.
I was like a dog with two tails when I cut back the rhodos and rediscovered all that planting space - we have another similar area that is due for that treatment this year.
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John, what a super new space you have created by "raising" the Osmanthus.... how exciting to have a new spot to plant up! We'll enjoy seeing how it progresses, I just know you'll be pleased with it.
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I would love a garden that small! :D
I'm looking for ideas for a shade garden on a small scale. Measurements later
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I have noticed erythronium revolutum with multiheads in my Edinburgh garden. My revolutum johnstoni have been single headed as normal
Alan
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Ian, I have just come accross a catalogue listing of Harvington Snowgoose and it is apparently a form of Californicum.Maggie was right.Did you pick the measurements up on the rhodo.thread ?
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Fabulous pictures Ian and most informative.Who is Ron Ratko ?
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Perhaps Ian and Maggi are snoozing :)
John, Ron Ratko is an American seed collector, Oregon I think. He has a devastatingly tempting seed list each year and it includes many collections of erythroniums, fritillarias, alliums, calochortus, penstemons and in fact everything from the western parts of the USA.
I'll send his address if you like, let me know, or M and I might do that before me.
The quality of Ron's seeds is superb. EVERYTHING germinates!!!
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John
the pictures you showed of Harvington Snowgoose clearly show the wide filaments which indicate E.oregonum is involved, I can well accept that E. californicum is the other parent if it is a hybrid as there are several crosses around with that parentage - but it is definitely not pure californicum.
I will send you Ron ratkos details by email.
Hi Alan welcome to the forum and thanks for reporting your multi headed E. revolutums.
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Thanks a lot Leslie for your help but as you can see Ian has already sent me an e-mail.Thanks again.