Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
General Subjects => Alpines => Topic started by: Alex on March 20, 2010, 03:20:07 PM
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I have hardly any of these - I mostly grow bulbs, and I don't think the cushions like me that much - but I love them so I persist. I have a small corner devoted to them at the moment, here is Dionysia khatamii in flower and Androsace helvetica on its way. But the main point of starting this thread is, who else has pictures? I know there are some serious cushion aficionados out there...
Cheers,
Alex
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These will not be in bloom for some time yet here, but I suppose the cushion-form does come across at this time of year.
Acantholimon trojanum
Lesquerella arizonica
Draba acaulis
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Good thread idea Alex. Like you I mostly grow bulbs but would like to try a few cushions (if only I had the room!!)
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I think there was another Cushion thread a while ago and surprisingly, it was only partially supported. They are, to my mind, the most endearing of plants, begging to be patted or stroked and many people grow them so the thread should be a flourishing one. The German and Dutch Forumists, and the Czechs, seem to do cushions very well.
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Thank you Lori, I do like that Draba acaulis, a lovely tight cushion.
Lesley, not flourishing quite as much as I imagined - I am a bit surprised not to have garnered a bit more interest actually, when the current Crocus thread will probably have grown by ten posts today alone! Not complaining of course, it just must be a very bulb-centric group of people who gather here (and I'm as bulb-centric as anyone). Perhaps bulbs are more popular overall now, since really choice cushion plants need so much attention all year round - you can't forget about them for 4 months like some other things...
Alex
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I'll have to pay attention this year and try to collect seeds.
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Lesley, not flourishing quite as much as I imagined - I am a bit surprised not to have garnered a bit more interest actually, when the current Crocus thread will probably have grown by ten posts today alone! Not complaining of course, it just must be a very bulb-centric group of people who gather here (and I'm as bulb-centric as anyone). Perhaps bulbs are more popular overall now, since really choice cushion plants need so much attention all year round - you can't forget about them for 4 months like some other things...
Alex
Alex that is exactly how even a careless gardener like me can keep bulbs growing. You, on the otherhand, are clearly a dedicated and expert gardener. I too love cushion plants, still have Dionysia aretioides descended from original plant acquired nearly 20 years ago. But .... Androsace helvetica, Dionysia khatamii ...... I bow before you :)
Looking forward to more cushions and more info on how to grow them better!
Below a picture from acouple of years ago of two clones I grew.
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They seemed to be ok at the time Tony !! ;)
You're absolutely right Alex ! Cushions are very much what brought me to growing alpines at the time ! Not having a greenhouse or Alpinehouse, difficult items like Dionysia's are out of the question.
Saxes, some Draba's, etc... are among my favourites though !
I hope this becomes a very succesful thread !! :D
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Over the years of the Forum we have made so many pleas to the cushion specialists to share at least pictures of their plants with us, but there has been very limited response.
Looking at any show bench around the UK there is always a large number of bulbs on display, so the huge popularity of those plants is obvious..... and it seems bulb growers are more likely to use a forum, such as this one or the PBS discussion list, to share their experiences than the cushion growers.
A disappointing result from the cushion specialists and those seeking inspiration, but simply a fact.
It would be wonderful if the instigation of this thread were to be the start of something big! :)
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I love cushion plants but can utter only two words on the subject-holiday watering!!
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My two words are: rapidly dead ;)
To be honest I can keep some cushions going under glass: Primula allionii, Draba longisiliqua, Androsace vandellii, Dionysia aretioides, Trachelium (now campanula?) asperuloides, and even Kelseya uniflora, but they will never be show quality. Out in the garden virtually all saxifrages do well, as do some Dianthus such as erinaceous.
Other dionysias actually seem to die before i get them home from wherever I bought them :'( I often look longingly at the Aberconwy stand at shows and would love to grow some of the Dionysia afghanica hybrids such as 'Judith Bramley' but common sense and compassion for the poor little plants prevents me from buying.
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Having said that - here are some cushions:
Androsace delavayi has been in flower for two weeks already - well ahead of the few others I have. This is its first flowering with me and may well be the last...
More certain prospects here are the saxes - here are 3 growing in our sort of morraine/stream bed/path, planted directly into limy stony subsoil beneath a cooling layer of pebbles. They love it and even seed around :)
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Small but beautiful - Saxifraga '
Jozef Karel Capek' in the garden :
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Tony, you are too modest! That's a very nice pic, what others are in the background?
Alex
P.S. The two i posted are very new so can take no credit at all I'm afraid...
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Hmm - have you seen my untidy garden? :-\
The two in the background are 'Monika' and a viscidula x freitagii (pink) that I managed to keep alive for a good few years. Sadly the pink one has now departed but 'Monika' is tolerant of my habits and the plant pictured is now 5" or so across although past die-back means it has an eccentric shape!
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Small but beautiful - Saxifraga 'Jozef Capek' in the garden :
Wow, Luc that's a real beauty - if it grows as well as your campanula it will be a bigger cushion in no time :)
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Recent pictures from the Shows are saying that there are fabulous cushions around in many collections. Please, cushion growers, bring them to this thread and share your lovely plants and how you grow them to such perfection. :P
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Like everybody else the sight of the really well grown cushions at the shows extracts the statement 'how do they grow them like that'. So you have to have a go, don't you.
I've not been growing them long, so no large ones yet, or probably very well. I tend to not be very scientific with growing my plants but if they seem to like my routine I stick with them.
All my cushions in pots are grown in the sand plunge in the greenhouse, picture 1. Probably not as much ventilation as they should have or care as during the winter months I hardly get to see a plant during the week.
So these are my little cushions and I like em.
First Saxifrage cochlearis? I think i had this labelled wrong (as carniolica) at East Lancs last week can anyone confirm please.
Silene acaulis 'Lady Frances' just starting to show new growth.
Androsace muscoidea breviscarpa a little uneven. Any tips on how to even it out anyone.
Bolax gummifera.
The rest are all Saxifrage. 'Snowcap' 'Coolock gem' 'Tenerife' and 'Your Song'
My only Dionysia 'Monika' still very small. The small inner pot is nearly all grit and only the lower pot and plunge recieve water. I heard somewhere this is how to do it?
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Sorry pictures are dark I took them tonight after work.
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Really nice cushions, they all look pretty happy to me. What is the reason for you to have the last one on another pot :-[
Angie :)
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Mick, yours looks like what I have as cochlearis 'Minor.' There is certainly a bigger rosetted but otherwise similar form as well.
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Angie
Its to avoid them getting too much moisture when watering. The bottom pot is watered this is wicked up by the smaller pot is the theory I think.
Cheers
mick
By the way is there a definition of 'cushion plant' for show classes?
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Very nice display Mick !
Should result into some great "big" pots some day !! :D
Thanks for showing !
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Angie
Its to avoid them getting too much moisture when watering. The bottom pot is watered this is wicked up by the smaller pot is the theory I think.
Cheers
mick
Thanks for the reply I had seen this done before, but didn't like to ask why :-[
Angie :)
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Luc - I'm pretty sure your saxifraga is 'Karel Capek' not 'Josef' - Sax. 'Josef Capek' is yellow/orange flowered.
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A couple of pictures of my Sax collection taken the other day. I'm busy getting plants ready for Exeter on Saturday, but will get back with more information in the next few day's
Best Wishes David
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A long drive to Exeter for you David !
I'm sure you will be most welcome there when you arrive with your truckload... ;D ;D ;D
Good luck !!
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Wow what a collection :o
It must be so hard to choose which ones to take ;D
Looking forward to see pics, of Exeter.
Angie :)
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Lovely selection there Mick.
You too David and I'll look out for you at Exeter.
After all those beauties don't know if I dare post a couple of mine from the garden-but I will!
Saxifraga 'Peach Melba'
Saxifraga 'Peter Burrow'
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By the way is there a definition of 'cushion plant' for show classes?
A good question, Mick.... there are often some questions raised during judging as to whether a cushion really is a cushion or not ;D
Basically, those plants which habitually make neat, rounded ( circumference) and (usually) domed shapes, close grown foliage making mounds with no gaps (though flatter growing carpet forming types sometimes are shown) .... that hits the particular "cushion" spot.
For example..... Androsace, Saxifraga, Bolax, Kelseya, Dionysia are cushions, but mound forming Campanulas might not meet with much enthusiasm.....
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Interesting to see Mick 'doing it properly'.. Undoubtedly the control of moisture at critical times makes all the difference with dionysias. However some are more amenable to easier methods of cultivation. I recall Mike Smith of Hythe Alpines saying he watered his dionysias freely from above when they were in full summer growth. He did have ventillation fans though so the excess on the cushions would not have lingered.
Here are the two I showed earlier as they are now. The previous pics were from two or three years ago. Now in 5" plastic pots, they still live in a plastic tray in the greenhouse alongside other, mostly young, plants. Watered from below, but very little between November and February the results are good. The problems arise if they get too dry or if damp in the cushion (especially just after flowering) causes dieback. Remove the affected rosettes carefully and the plant will usually grow back. In the case of D aretioides a little occasional rearranging of the cushion can restore the shape quite quickly. However it is always a good policy to propagate by soft cuttings taken in mid-summer.
I use fine pumice over a layer of vermiculite in a seed tray. The tray with holes in the base (coarse vermiculite stops the fine pumice from draining through) stands in another without holes into which water is poured, just enough to keep the mix damp. Covered with a plastic hood and kept part shaded the cuttings root quite quickly.
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Tony's talk of removing dead patches from cushion plants reminds me of another "side" to the showing cushions saga.... some classes are for "cushion plant shown for natural effect": this means that an irregular dome , perhaps growing , as would happen often in nature, around/over a rock. Shows which have such clases also tend to have another class for a "cushion plant" from which we may infer that a more perfectly shaped circular cushion is being sought by the judges.
For shows where there is no such distinction is made, then either type is eligible and the judges can fihght it out between them as to which style they prefer! ::)
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To my mind a cushion plant would be one made up of many tiny rosettes and cushion-shaped when not in flower. The flowers are a bonus. So, no, not mound-forming campanulas such as the NZ raised 'Maie Blyth' even though she will make a rounded, mounded plant when three or four years old. But there's an excellent cushion (crocheted :)) in Ray's posting about the show at Melbourne Botanic Gardens. ;D
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I should surely have mentioned the New Zealanders, Raoulia and Haastia ... Having had such show success with these in the past ourselves, how could I forget them? These plants are exactly as Lesley describes and amongst the most attractive and challenging cushion plants...with wonderful tight rosettes of grey furry foliage, in this case grown primarily for their form since flowers are tiny and not often seen in cultivation here.
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Today in flower.
Draba-aizoides
Draba-polytricha
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This is Nigel Fullers 12 year old Dionysia 'Monika' at the Tunbridge wells AGS local group show yesterday which won best in show. Last week nigel won the Farrer medal at kent with a 20 year old Dionysia curviflora, not a bad grower of cushions is he ?.
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Lovely plant of Nigel's ...he is a terrific grower!
I'm sorry that I seem to have missed giving details of the Tunbridge Wells AGS show in my notice of the national show choices for this past weekend. It is hard to keep up with all the local show details at times! Apologies to all concerned.
With plants like that Dionysia, it will have been a grand day out, I'm sure.
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This is Nigel Fullers 12 year old Dionysia 'Monika' at the Tunbridge wells AGS local group show yesterday which won best in show. Last week nigel won the Farrer medal at kent with a 20 year old Dionysia curviflora, not a bad grower of cushions is he ?.
Just about big enough to sit on. ??? ;D
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Just about big enough to sit on.
This is what Jon Evans produced for one his images in the AGS Artistic Section at Kent & Exeter.
He is a very clever chap.
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Yesterday in the Alpine House:
Dionysia iranica
Androsace vandellii
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Very well grown and healthy looking plants Rudi !!
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Androsace helvetica a few days ago.
Alex
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Not very many cushions perform at their best outside in the garden, but here's one that does :
Schivereckia podolica
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This daisy is perhaps the ugly duckling amongst the Dionysias and Androsaces. (it had an unfortunate encounter with Dave Toole's boot prior to its career as a domesticated plant).
It seems to have recovered from that insult and has rewarded me with five flowers. Celmisia philocremna is known only from the Eyre Mountains where it grows on rock outcrops (philocremna = crag-loving). It is a very distinctive plant and is unlike any other any other species of Celmisa. It is curious that it was flowering in the wild in January and the cultivated plant is flowering in May.
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Not very many cushions perform at their best outside in the garden, but here's one that does :
Schivereckia podolica
Indeed - nice performance!
Gerd
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This daisy is perhaps the ugly duckling amongst the Dionysias and Androsaces. (it had an unfortunate encounter with Dave Toole's boot prior to its career as a domesticated plant).
It seems to have recovered from that insult and has rewarded me with five flowers. Celmisia philocremna is known only from the Eyre Mountains where it grows on rock outcrops (philocremna = crag-loving). It is a very distinctive plant and is unlike any other any other species of Celmisa. It is curious that it was flowering in the wild in January and the cultivated plant is flowering in May.
really great plant and buds--the flowers are just a bonus ;)
your post made me realise i have a cushion plant, too--a native Erigeron compositus or similar-white daisies on longer stems than i'd prefer, but the plant is quite flat and dense..
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Cohan... flat is a mat.... cushions are fat! ;D ;D ;)
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Cohan... flat is a mat.... cushions are fat! ;D ;D ;)
right! i was remembering some such conversation, but didn't actually remember the alternative to cushion...lol in any case, mine is only a few inches across, not much of a mat or a cushion! just a little tiny dense clump ;)
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I think this qualifies as a cushion. All my plants are grown outdoors and are not perfect as a result, but Hymenoxys lapidicola (a/k/a as the "dinosaur daisy") is an absolute charmer. This one is in a trough.
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I used to grow this a long time ago but all I got was a leggy plant with greenfly and no flowers. I seem to remember it is rare in the wild in the USA but I may be mistaken on that, does anyone still grow it in the UK I don't remember seeing it for a long time. Your plant really looks healthy.
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This is definitely not leggy, but extremely compact and makes a small dome. It grows this way in nature also. I believe it was nicknamed the "dinosaur daisy" because it was discovered/rediscovered in Dinosaur National Park in Colorado
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It's truly beautiful, such a pure and clear yellow.
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hello,
a few cushions in my garden....
astragalus angustissima
(http://i610.photobucket.com/albums/tt188/yuccajoe/Bild001-30.jpg?t=1273879838)
acantholimon ?
(http://i610.photobucket.com/albums/tt188/yuccajoe/Bild006-40.jpg?t=1273879881)
acantholimon begins with flower
(http://i610.photobucket.com/albums/tt188/yuccajoe/Bild003-48.jpg?t=1273879927)
regards
chris
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Welcome to the Forum Chris.
You have some perfect cushions!
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hi lesley,
thanks, fantastic forum...
regards
chris
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another cushion in bloom...erinacea anthyllis...
(http://i610.photobucket.com/albums/tt188/yuccajoe/f9993e999dbdee6bffff8017fffffff0.jpg?t=1274018837)
regards
chris
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Not a cushion you'd want to sit on or lean against. even safe from a cat looking for a comfortable spot in the sun ;D
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The Erinacea anthyllis is beautiful. I've grown this for a few years now and nary a bloom. Any hints?
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hi, how big is it ?, full sunny ? there are two species, a very compact cushion, that never blooms by me since i have, and a slack cushion, that blooms every year....very drained soil...
regards
chris
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The ones I have are pretty compact and not a one has bloomed. They have very positive drainage and full sun, dry conditions. The mix is lean but very deep and there is moisture far down.
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my expierience, the compact cushions flowers better as a big size plant...
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I had mine for about 8 years (a small nursery-bought plant) before it bloomed but one from it, from seed only took 5. Both plants are in very hot, dry troughs with what was originally a good mixture for Dianthus, Saponaria etc, but has never been replenished so must be very poor by now. They are never watered except by rain.
Not so good photo as Chis's but this plant is now about 50cms across lapping over the side and corner of a large limestone trough. It flowers well every year (many hundreds of flowers) and sets seed too though harvesting it is a very painful process. :'( I use long-bladed tweezers and get only a tiny fraction of the seed it produces.
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hi lesley, excellent plant, i love this species...
regards
chris
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The plant is gorgeous, Lesley. I'll have to start practicing patience.
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hi, astragalus angustifolia in bloom...
(http://i610.photobucket.com/albums/tt188/yuccajoe/Bild011-25.jpg?t=1274523493)
regards
chris
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hi, acantholimon snapshot....
(http://i610.photobucket.com/albums/tt188/yuccajoe/Bild012-29.jpg?t=1275216515)
cheers
chris
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No flowers, but interesting anyway: Selaginella sanguinolenta
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Rudi,
Are you sure your Selaginella is not S. sibirica? I had what I THOUGHT was sanguinolenta identified (in the middle of a presentation) as sibirica....
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Rudi,
Are you sure your Selaginella is not S. sibirica? I had what I THOUGHT was sanguinolenta identified (in the middle of a presentation) as sibirica....
Carlo,
I am never sure about the true identidy of my plants but always interested in a clear
identification. The plant at the photo is about 15 years in my collection and I got it
under this name. What is the difference between these 2 species?
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Liked your selaginella, even without flowers. Here's something in full flower, although they're hard to see - Paronychia sessiliflora. This one is in the crevice garden
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Beautiful Paronychia, Anne ... in your INCREDIBLE crevice garden.
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Liked your selaginella, even without flowers. Here's something in full flower, although they're hard to see - Paronychia sessiliflora. This one is in the crevice garden
really nice one, anne..
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Does this asperula qualify as a cushion? It may technically be a mat but in the crevice garden is growing like a cushion. Some plants are able to assume a different shape according to where they are growing. Never got around to photographing it in flower but it's nice in bud.
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Does this asperula qualify as a cushion? It may technically be a mat but in the crevice garden is growing like a cushion. Some plants are able to assume a different shape according to where they are growing. Never got around to photographing it in flower but it's nice in bud.
I hope it does qualify as a cushion, Anne or a number of exhibitors at SRGC shows will be most upset! :D
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Cushions are generally considered a form of mat plant (i.e. all cushions are mats, not all mats are cushions). A cushion is domed and looks like...a "cushion" should. Mats are generally flat. Both spread as they age.
Another crucial difference is that cushion domes are formed by terminal rosettes; that is the stems that radiate from the central structure of the plant have no living leaves on them until their tips. Mats, by contrast, could have leaves all along those stems.
Growth is also somewhat different. Cushions grow when terminal rosettes are replaced by new ones and the leaves of the old one senesce. Mats grow from their tips, can grow from their stems as new stems are formed in back of the apical shoots, and can root as they spread.
It's ironic that I haven't seen a lucid explanation of the difference between a "mat" and a "cushion" in any of the great books on alpines that I have in the library. Can anyone come up with a better distinction than the above?
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Carlo, you triggered a memory of something I had read a long time ago but it took a while to pinpoint it.
In the January, 1957 issue of (then called ARGS) Bulletin, Vol.15, No.1, pg 7, was an article titled "Growth - Forms of Alpine Plants", by Donald R. Yeager of the Highland Park Herbarium in Rochester, New York. I've just reread it and it's as fascinating now as it was when I first read it. Under the heading of Cushion or Mat Plants, he divides cushions into radial-flat and radial-sphere cushions. He cites Saxifraga, Androsace, Draba, Silene, Arenaria, Stellaria and Eritrichium as having cushion growth. He describes the cushion growth as you did - vigorous tap root, much articulated system of compressed sprouts - numerous radial arranged branches of nearly the same height, with tips of shoots usually the only parts of plants having foliage. Then he subdivides into Hemisphere cushions, Turf cushions Creeping cushions and Rosette cushions. Hemishere cushions are again divided into radial hollow spheres (such as Draba hoppeana et al) and Radial non-hollow spheres (such as Sax caesia, Sax squarrosa et al). He gives examples of each of his divisions. I tried to get this included in the NARGS published book "Rock Garden Plants of North America", c 1996, (which consisted of reprints from ARGS Bulletin). That attempt failed but I did manage to get in the beautiful line drawing of Astragalus tridactylicus. If you're interested in the article and can't get ahold of it, Joe might be able to scan it for you. We leave for the Dolomites the end of the week so please let me know soon.
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I AM definitely interested in the article and appreciate your offer. This stuff fascinates me.
Some time ago, I saw a graphic representation of the various alpine plant forms (in some level of detail). I've been looking for it since to no avail. I intend to use it to create keywords for my catalog of photographs.
Thanks.
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Unfortunately this article didn't come with any illustrations. I'll try and scan this to you before we leave. Is your email the same?
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hi, acantholimon cusion in bloom now....
(http://i610.photobucket.com/albums/tt188/yuccajoe/Bild004-83.jpg?t=1277387200)
(http://i610.photobucket.com/albums/tt188/yuccajoe/Bild005-81.jpg?t=1277387218)
(http://i610.photobucket.com/albums/tt188/yuccajoe/Bild006-77.jpg?t=1277387236)
cheers
chris
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A lovely plant Chris. It shows what I often find with cushions planted out in the garden rather than in pots. It flowers first on the sunny side then gradually the shady side comes into bloom. In a pot it can be turned frequently to have an even flowering. Dianthus erinaceus and Erinacea anthyllis are two that display this habit strongly.
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lesley, i like the prickly cushions, and i´ve got a lot of them...to much ;)
best effects in the ground, you know, in pots or throughs not so good for a long time...
cheers
chris
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A few cushions / mats seen on my last trip to Lesotho - Helichrysum species growing at approximately 9,500 ft.
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hello rogan, fantastic habitat pictures...thanks a lot...
cheers
chris
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Super cushion Rogan, especially the first one. Do you know which species?The foliage looks like that of milfordiae but the flower isn't right. ???
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Great pix Rogan !!! :o
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hi all, an detail from acantholimon hohenackeri...
(http://i610.photobucket.com/albums/tt188/yuccajoe/Bild008-70.jpg?t=1277906274)
(http://i610.photobucket.com/albums/tt188/yuccajoe/Bild019-26.jpg?t=1277906302)
kind regards
chris
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THat species seems to be very free-flowering Chris, a very nice plant. :)
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lesley, thanks a lot...
cheers
chris
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A few cushions / mats seen on my last trip to Lesotho - Helichrysum species growing at approximately 9,500 ft.
wow-wow!-boy do i like those, esp the first photo :)
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"Super cushion Rogan, especially the first one. Do you know which species?The foliage looks like that of milfordiae but the flower isn't right."
Referring to Hilliard and Burtt, The Botany of the Southern Natal Drakensberg, I'd say it is Helichrysum pagophilum. Here's a close-up of a few flowers and the woolly foliage:
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hello rogan, great.....thanks a lot
cheers
chris
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A wonderful Helichrysum Rogan. I too thought the foliage was like milforiae. We grew that species for a number of years and it seemed quite hardy but the flowers were not as spectacular as yours. I wonder how hardy this species is? Does it grow in colder places there?
johnw
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I should imagine this species is very hardy John, as it grows on top of the Drakensberg mountains above 9000 ft. Winter minimum temperatures can drop to minus 20 'C or lower at this altitude.
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there are delospermas from those areas being grown in zone 3 -- -30 or lower :o
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there are delospermas from those areas being grown in zone 3 -- -30 or lower :o
That's amazing, but do you have reliable snow cover? Which delospermas are doing well for you?
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there are delospermas from those areas being grown in zone 3 -- -30 or lower :o
That's amazing, but do you have reliable snow cover? Which delospermas are doing well for you?
unfortunately i am not speaking from personal experience yet (i bought two last year, but they were still in pots when we had our strange warm fall then sudden deep cold, and i still haven't decided if they are alive or not...lol)-but i have heard of growers in winnipeg, calgary (lori is on this forum) and elsewhere with happy delospermas...usually those marketed as nubigenum, gold nugget etc (see the related thread in this alpine section for discussion of proper naming for these) http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=3795.0
beavercreek nursery in british columbia has listed a few other selections that are possibly zone 3 hardy..
a key distinction to your eastern climate-our winter is mostly dry, though we could have some wet cold in fall and/or spring; winnipeg would usually have pretty reliable snow cover, calgary not usually.. i mostly do, though we can easily have had -20C before the snow comes, and again after its gone...
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Delosperma lavisiae is a very common species in the southern Drakensberg foothills and grows in crevices and beside rock sheets up to 2650 metres (8500 feet), so it should be quite hardy. The Drakensberg does experience some snow cover, but most slopes with a southerly or south-eastern aspect are frozen solid for many weeks during the winter months - D. lavisiae seems to favour the warmer, sunny slopes facing north or north-easterly. This is a picture-perfect specimen I photographed on the Sani Pass road:
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I AM definitely interested in the article and appreciate your offer. This stuff fascinates me.
Some time ago, I saw a graphic representation of the various alpine plant forms (in some level of detail). I've been looking for it since to no avail. I intend to use it to create keywords for my catalog of photographs.
Thanks.
Hi Carlo, I emailed you the article twice and both times it has bounced back. Please email me and I'll forward it to you that way. I must have a mistake in the address, sorry.
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and what about this cushion plant from Bolivia...beautiful but deadly. It may be hardy in the most temperate of areas provided it is kept dry.
Abromeitiela brevifolia
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Why is it deadly Frazer? Are the spikees particularly rigid, like those of Aciphylla?
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Why is it deadly Frazer? Are the spikees particularly rigid, like those of Aciphylla?
It has to be spines! I once sat down on a similar cushion in the Atlas mountains in N Africa. I didn't sit long!
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and what about this cushion plant from Bolivia...beautiful but deadly. It may be hardy in the most temperate of areas provided it is kept dry.
Abromeitiela brevifolia
a charming bromeliad!
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It seems Dionysia season is starting - here's a small effort from me (D. Tapetodes 'Peter Edwards') - some of you must have some far more impressive specimens which it would be great to see...
Alex
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Sorry, just revisited to see that i forgot to attach the picture!
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It seems Dionysia season is starting - here's a small effort from me (D. Tapetodes 'Peter Edwards') - some of you must have some far more impressive specimens which it would be great to see...
Alex
Give it time Alex and you'll be wowing us with a huge potful! Most of my dionysias have shrunk as the children have grown :P
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Hello. I will make another attempt to show you a few cushions. This is my first time to post pictures, and yesterday the message and pictures would not post. The first one is from a trip to Lapland last September. The other ones are from my garden.
Thomas Schultze, Sweden
Diapensia lapponica, near Abisko, Lapland, Sweden
Draba mollissima, in gravel bed
Myosotis pulvinaris, in peat bed with Primula nanobella
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...and here are a few more, from my garden. The pictures are from previous years as the snow is just beginning to melt outside here!
Thomas S, again.
Edraianthus pumilio, in pot. Spends winters in my unheated (almost) greenhouse.
Raoulia eximia x petriei, was successful a few years but died after last winter.
Saxifraga burseriana crenata
Sax. "Salome", the hardest bun of them all
Saxifraga sp from the Himalaya, similar to S. matta-florida. It sprouted a primula after I brought it home!
Saxifraga x burnatii, Ligulatae can also grow like cushions.
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Lovely cushions Thomas, and some very special and quite tricky plants there. The Myosotis is lovely and frankly, difficult to keep in good condition, especially if grown outside. I am hopeful of some flowers on my own Diapensia now that it is growing in a trough in the garden rather than under cover. The Raoulia hybrid too, is a tricky plant.
I'm very happy to see your little primula because what I have from seed as P. bella, and there was some doubt about it, is looking EXACTLY like yours, in the foliage. Maybe it will flower in our spring. :D
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Hejsan Thomas,
thanks for pictures. I had the same problem to attach pictures for the first time it was blank... I noticed you live around beautiful lake which I saw last summer :)
As it looks you like saxifragas, here are few pictures from Czech breeder Karel Lang from previous year. Here is no snow, but still -10C at night.
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Oh My Word! I remember seeing many of Mr Lang's saxes on the Forum maybe the year before last and have been yearning ever since. What fine plants he raises and grows. What a treat to see these. Many thanks Jiri. :D
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Absolutely STUNNING!!!
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Hej själv Jiri, och tack... for the beautiful pictures. Yes I love Saxifraga and have a few of the ones you show, but not big and beatiful like that. Some kinds of Porphyrion/Kabschia I have been growing since I was a boy 45 years ago. I found an english gardening book in the library with pictures of those flowering buns, and then some plants at the local nursery. S. pulchra is an exciting plant I wish I had...
Leslie, there has been some discussion on the net about the identity of that Primula. Primula bella and nanobella are listed as two species in "Primula World" but, as far as i can see, as synonyms in "Flora of China". I think this is from Jurasek seeds probably what is called "Primula nanobella 'JJ-70/'02' ". I found some confusion about that, as well as an old comment from Mr Richards:
"This is classic P. florida, v common in SW Sichuan."
John Richards
From: Jozef Lemmens [mailto:alpines@...] Sent: 26 October 2003 21:03 To: primulas@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [primulas] Primula nanobella 'JJ-70/'02'
"Hi all, Is there anyone who knows a positive ID of Jurasek's P. nanobella '70/'02' in the meantime?"
The Primula I lost during recent summer heat. The Myosotis also rotted after flowering but i was able to root pieces in the peat bed.
Thomas
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This winter has been a disaster for our Dionysias. While we were on vacation in December an electrical fuse jumped, and the the temperature in the greenhouse decreased from +2 to about -10C for a couple of days. Many of the Dionysias didn't like it and died during January and February.
Here are a few picture of Dionysias from last year: Dionysiatables, Dionysia 'Ewesley Delta' and Dionysia curviflora x tapetodes.
Some survived the power failure: Dionysia afghanica x tapetodes 'Evesly Theta', Dionysia gaubae, Dionysia hausknechtii, Dionysia zetterlundii (Syn Dionysia heterotricha) seed from Vojtech Holubec, Dionysia iransharii JLMS 55, Dionysia tapetodes and Dionysia viscidula.
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Thomas,
I am happy to see pictures from you. I hope to see more.
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Great plants and super pictures from all.
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Your plants seems to be in an excellent condition Kirsten. I have also a some problems my Dionysias. It looks like some plants are attacked by some kind of mold.
I have installed two extra fans installed to provide additional air movement. I hope this is a solution.
I hope both you and Lars are feeling well.
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This winter has been a disaster for our Dionysias. While we were on vacation in December an electrical fuse jumped, and the the temperature in the greenhouse decreased from +2 to about -10C for a couple of days. Many of the Dionysias didn't like it and died during January and February.
Oh my word, what a disaster...... but there is not much you could have done to prevent this electrical malfunction..... there are only so many fail-safes one can incorporate into a system without it being a massive undertaking of time and money that few of us could manage.
Interestingly one often hears it said in the UK that Dionysia are "perfectly hardy" and only require to be kept in an alpine house to protect them from excess rain - this seems not to have been the case in Denmark... for it is the cold that has done the damage there, eh?
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Your plants seems to be in an excellent condition Kirsten
Ger, the photos are from last year......
Here are a few picture of Dionysias from last year
Sadly Kirsten's Dionysias have suffered in the winter, following an electrical fault, as she explained.
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Great plants Kirsten.
Kirsten and Ger
I am now a little confused.
Ger (gervandenbeuken) your post #12 Alpine House 2011 you state 'Not important to keep the alpine frostfree because these plants are completely hardy'.
However, Kirsten you state 'This winter has been a disaster for our Dionysias. While we were on vacation in December an electrical fuse jumped, and the temperature in the greenhouse decreased from +2 to about -10C for a couple of days. Many of the Dionysias didn't like it and died during January and February.'
I realise you are from different countries and conditions may be different but are they completely hardy, or do they not survive at -10C.
Maggi I see you have posted whilst I was typing :)
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Graham, if they do not survive -10, they are clearly tropical houseplants ;D
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So sorry to read of your losses Kirsten. I know I'd be devastated in your position. Even in south west England we too had over a week in December of night time temperatures of -10 centigrade and daytime sub zero. All our plants came through unscathed although I did put last years seedlings and rooted cuttings in one of my fridges (not the household fridge!) to protect these from the worst. They have performed better than ever this season and I remain convinced that mature plants are 100% hardy. You have some fantastic plants and a good variety, many of them not commonly available. The Ewesley Delta however is incorrectly identified. It is Ewesley Theta or a different unnamed clone of afghanica x tapetodes. Ewesley Delta is microphylla x freitagii and is very different. There is a good picture of it on page 40 of AGS bulletin 65. Your plant is however as big a Ewesley Theta as you are ever likely to see.
Paul R
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gervandenbeuken link=topic=5196.msg191174#msg191174 date=1299693827
Your plants seems to be in an excellent condition Kirsten. I have also a some problems my Dionysias. It looks like some plants are attacked by some kind of mold.
I have installed two extra fans installed to provide additional air movement. I hope this is a solution.
I hope both you and Lars are feeling well.
Hello Ger, we have the problems about mold too. Actually, I think mold was a major reason for our dead plants. I believe you are right about the need for extra ventilation.
Maggi Young link=topic=5196.msg191186#msg191186 date=1299696704]
Ger, the photos are from last year......
Maggi: The three first photos are from last year, the rest of the photos are from this year. We had about 80 pots with Dionysias and about 50 survived.
About hardines of Dionysia: I agree with Ger and Paul in Dionysia can stand much cold. Mountains in Iran and Afghanistan are very cold in winter. Our problem in the greenhouse is the moisture in the air. We have fans going constantly to prevent moisture from getting on the leaves. The lower the temperature the more need for ventilation. In connection with the electrical problems this winter were the fans also stopped, which would undoubtedly have been a casual factor to the dead Dionysias.
Dionysia link=topic=5196.msg191293#msg191293 date=1299749291]
You have some fantastic plants and a good variety, many of them not commonly available. The Ewesley Delta however is incorrectly identified. It is Ewesley Theta or a different unnamed clone of afghanica x tapetodes. Ewesley Delta is microphylla x freitagii and is very different. There is a good picture of it on page 40 of AGS bulletin 65. Your plant is however as big a Ewesley Theta as you are ever likely to see.
Paul R
Paul: Thanks for the nice words and thanks for the information about 'Ewesley Delta/Theta' I got the plant 17 years ago from Gothenburg Botanical Garden and might have accidentally changed the name on the label
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I hope that I can figure out the Quote/unquote system next time. :)
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I hope that I can figure out the Quote/unquote system next time. :)
:) Yes, the system for multiple quotes is a little tricky ::) ::) I have mended them for you ;)
I can sympathise with the heartbreak of damage or loss to such wonderful plants of considerable age..... it is any growers' nightmare.
Paul knows better than most how long it takes to nurture a plant to those proportions.... and also the work involved in showing them. 8)
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Hi Kirsten
I think you're right about the ventilation although I actually switched my fans off at the height of the freeze as I did get a bit worried about adding 'wind chill' to the low temperature. The high humidity actually followed the freeze rather than accompanying it. At its worst the unplunged rims of the pots were covered in condensation. This was a problem particularly with those plants where the cushion was close to or on the rim. I think the benefit of adequate top dressing was also evident. I always wipe the glass down in the morning with old towels although only when the glass is wet, not frosted. I am extremely fastidious (read obsessive) about removing any evidence of botrytis, even down to removing individual leaves on some of the larger species such as viscidula and freitagii. Although the Dionysias didn't suffer a small collection of Ourisias took a real hammering; they're far more prone to botrytis than Dionysias.
Paul
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Hi Maggi
I've just noticed your kind comments. You're certainly right about the time involved. We've already been to three shows this year and are likely to go to shows on five of the next six Saturdays. At the last two we've taken 40 plants and it's not likely to be many less this week. Preparing and boxing the plants takes ages. For the last 10 years before I retired I worked nights and didn't sleep between Thursday afternoon and Friday night on show weeks and then had to get up at 4am-5am on the Saturday to drive to the show. I actually spent more time in the greenhouses than at work and am very lucky Gill was so tolerant. Even now I am retired I still don't have enough time especially as some of the housework is now my responsibility.
Paul (taking a break from the ironing!!)
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Paul, rest assured that the pleasure gained from those seeing your show plants on the bench is huge and I hope would be a boost to your flagging early morning spirits. as if that were not enough, I could also vouch for the fact that any exhibitor turning up at a show with as many plants as you and Gill do makes a Show Secretaries dreams come true..... think of how happy your are making those hard working Show Secs!!
I wish you were within striking distance of the shows in Scotland with your plants, that's for sure!
You don't fancy a weekend in Aberdeen in May, do you? :) ;)
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Hi Maggi
Tempting though your suggestion is I think Aberdeen is a step too far although I'm used to driving to Innsbruck in one day. The cost of fuel is becoming diabolical; thank goodness we changed to a diesel in 2009 and now get 50mpg. Unfortunately I think I might struggle to coax any of the Dionysias other than involucrata to keep going into May and I also don't think there would be many suitable classes. Nice thought though but we'll have to content ourselves with our second visit to Blackpool.
Paul
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Ah well, you'll make Lionel a happy man, at least 8)
Don't write off the prospect of Aberdeen in a late season, though... you'd be delighted how many classes we'd find for you to enter!! ;D ;D
Such a pity that flower power is not sufficient to fuel a vehicle..... :'(
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Hi Kirsten, I am sorry about your losses. >:( of these lovely plants. I hope you had at least good time with Lars during your travel.
One possibility how to avoid problem with electricity might be to use solar fans. Once I will build new alpine house I plan to use them. They works the same way like our plants require, more light means more output and more air to cool plants.
I attach D. Ewesly Delta from Micheal Kammerlander.
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Solar fans? That's a great idea, Jiri... in my ignorance I did not know such things existed.
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It is not so new, but prices of solar panels are dropping. At least in Czech Republic. We had last year boom of solar power station, the highest in Europe, due our stupid government :o, as they guaranteed very high prices for solar electricity, we have now here around 12000 station. Anyway if you need just to charge fan without need to store electricity for later, you can avoid batteries, so quite simple and green solution.
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Thank you Thomas, Jiri, and Kirsten for nice pictures of fine plants. Well, Kirsten, the beautiful plants you show are out of my league, so I will leave it at that. It was sad to hear of all the ones you lost, but you certainly have some nice ones left.
Saxifragas do quite well for us here, also outside in the open. They are wonderful in the spring, right up there with the bulbs. The first one to bloom is usually Sax. dinniki, as shown in the picture 1, taken last year. Picture 2 is of the same plant and was taken today, it's budding nicely - never had that many before. I bought this plant at the Dutch rock garden conference in 2005, from the Czech stall, and it has been growing in a shallow 40 cm round pot, along with other treasures, since.
The last picture is of my A4-sized Czech trough. The plants in it are from top left Sax.s 'Pearly Gate', 'Teide', 'Duncan Lowe', 'Macocha', 2nd row: 'Diana', 'Nimbus', 'Moulin Rouge', Sax. burseriana crenulata, 3rd row Draba imbricata (sulks in our climate), 'Leonardo da Vinci', ''Radvan Horny , 'Paul Gaugin'. All plants in this trough were bought during the fantastic tours after the 1st Czech Rock Garden conference in 2007, and most of them from Karel Lang, whose plants you showed, Jiri. They have weathered the two wettest winters on record followed by the two coldest ones. They definitely prefer the wet ones, reflecting perhaps the common Norwegian name for Saxifraga, "sildre", meaning trickle and indicating that you find them where there is a trickle of water running. After last years cold winter three of the plants died, 'Pearly Gate', 'Duncan Lowe', and 'Macocha'. Hopefully this even colder winter will not claim more. By the way, 'Teide' is a thug, but a likeable one.
Knud
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gervandenbeuken
I hope both you and Lars are feeling well.
[/quote]
Hi Kirsten, I am sorry about your losses. >:( of these lovely plants. I hope you had at least good time with Lars during your travel.
One possibility how to avoid problem with electricity might be to use solar fans. Once I will build new alpine house I plan to use them. They works the same way like our plants require, more light means more output and more air to cool plants.
I attach D. Ewesly Delta from Micheal Kammerlander.
Hi Ger and Jiri
We are both feeling well and had a wonderful holiday in Patagonia in December.
I think that we must consider your idea about solar fans, Jiri. Maybe we will buy some the next time we get to the Check Republic.
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Kirsten, good to hear you had a good trip in Patagonia. Where have you been this time?
We forgot to go this year (just kidding) but next year we are going to Mendoza. S. America is addictive is it not?
Jiri, it is not clear for me the difference between an ordinairy fan and a solar fan.
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Hi Ger,
fan is almost the same (different Volts), but electricity is produced by solar panel. Stronger light means more energy for fan to turn faster. So you save money and in case of problem with electrical power network you are independent. I have to admit that so far it is just idea and I have no practical experience. First I have to build an alpine house....
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Kirsten, good to hear you had a good trip in Patagonia. Where have you been this time?
We forgot to go this year (just kidding) but next year we are going to Mendoza. S. America is addictive is it not?
Ger, we went to the northern part of Patagonia and north of Patagonia. From Zapala in the south to Las Lenas in the north. As said it was a very nice holiday, but we are still more interested in the Santa Cruz province in southern Patagonia where we are going in November/December. Patagonia is indeed addictive. :)
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Jiri,
I would be most interested in half a dozen of those solar fans, but unfortunately they are not distributed in the UK. :( :(
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You can get them, Maren, as this google search (http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=solar+fans&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&client=firefox-a#q=solar+fans&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=TjQ&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&prmd=ivns&source=univ&tbs=shop:1&tbo=u&sa=X&ei=3PB9TdDUE8awhQe304jvBg&ved=0CEQQrQQ&biw=785&bih=423&fp=2583fd658441afed) shows..... but the cheaper ones look flimsy and the rest are pretty expensive. :-\
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Draba aizoides hyb. is a selfseeder. It grows overall.
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At present flowers following chushion plants in my stone throughs.
Draba polytricha
Aethionema oppositifolium
Veronica caespitosa
Viola hirta
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I finally got a few flowers on this little chinohebe pulvinaris ( or whatever it is called now)
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Very nice michael :)
How long have you had it and how big is it?
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Super plants Michael and Franz !!
Franz, that V. caespitosa is immaculate !! :o :o
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Graham, it is about 10cm across and I have it for ten years,it is planted out in a scree bed and covered with a sheet of glass in the winter. I give it plenty of water in the summer if the weather is dry.
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An outstanding Veronica Franz, the more so because I'm unhappily aware of how difficult it is to keep the woolly foliage in good condition, never mind all those glorious flowers. I'm wildly envious.
Well done Michael, a better show than I've had on mine. ::)
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hello, erinacea anthyllis in flower, on limestone in my garden.....
(http://i610.photobucket.com/albums/tt188/yuccajoe/garten%201/ysa002.jpg?t=1303240703)
cheers
chris
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MY larger Erinacea is in a limestone trough, and nearly a metre across now, though it is over 20 years old. I hadn't thought about it actually liking lime, and the smaller plant is in hypertufa, also doing very well. I got a lot of seed off both this last spring, with the aid of some long-stemmed surgical pincers, borrowed from my doctor.
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I wonder if it's possible that the lime affects the color? I recall seeing this in a limestone garden in Switzerland years ago, and it was a lovely soft blue. The I saw it at the Pershore rock garden in April and the color was much paler, although it was blooming beautifully. Maybe it's just variable? My plants have still not bloomed although they seem to be growing quite well.
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My larger plant was 10 years old before it bloomed but the smaller only took about 4 years. The seed I collected (mentioned above) has germinated well. I sowed 20 and 18 are so far through, and there was some extra which will go to the seedlists.
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Sigh................... I'm still waiting but the plants are growing nicely, though slowly.
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I think Lesley made a comment about wanting to poke and prod cushions! There is a strong desire to do this even when going to the Shows when you should know better!! This is a beautiful thread. My best memory of such plants was in the Cradle Mtn/Lake St. Clair National Park in Tasmania where some huge cushions made up of three or four different species in a mosaic grow to several metres across - they must be hundreds of years old (unfortunately I only have slides). A friend in our Group once also gave us a lecture which finished with a succession of pictures of Azorella compacta which forms huge mounds in all shapes and sizes something like vegetable sheep in their 'personality'.
Franz's picture of Veronica caespitosa is wonderful. This I have tried to grow several times, along with relatives like bombycina, thinking that they would be well suited to our dry and warm climate in the south - but they haven't prospered and probably we lack the summer and winter extremes of heat and cold that many of these plants really need (my favourite place to live would probably be Denver! At least from a plant's point of view). Also plants like Erinacea grow quite well but have flowered only shyly if at all. Again we rarely approach the summer temperatures in the Mediterranean - I have seen it flowering superbly in a greenhouse in the Malahide Garden near Dublin.
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One of the fish-box troughs, planted with 5 arenaria. Ground Mixture little fertile and permeable. Stand south / east until 2 o'clock sun, against the house. Third year. Every spring a bit of common bio fertilizer of DCM. In warm dry weather, every day during the watering of the annuals, they also get some between the pillows. Hard like a stone. During the winter (from November) a shelter.
Arenaria tetraquetra subsp. Amabilis
Arenaria lithops 'Babi Lom' (Czech cultivar. Babi Lom means Grandma's quarry)
Arenaria tetraquetra
Arenaria lithops
Arenaria alfacarensis
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continuation
The tetraquetra has become less in the middle, but usually recovered.
and a closup of the rosettes
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Jan,
these are fantastic.
How old were the plants when they were added to the crevices?
cheers
fermi
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Jan,
these are fantastic.
How old were the plants when they were added to the crevices?
cheers
fermi
I think 1-2 years. They were about 3-4 cm in diameter.
The lithops bought in spring 2015 on sales day in the botanical garden in Brno Czech Republic.
The 'Babi Lom', the Alfacarensis and the tetraquetra Bought at Eva a Josef Holzbecherovi Czech Republic Spring 2015.
The tetraquetra subsp. Amabilis bought at Gert Hoek on the autumn sale 2015 in the Netherlands.
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Wow! They'd made good growth in just 2 years!
You're lucky to have access to such wonderful plants,
cheers
fermi
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Hi! I am new on forum and I want show you some plants from my rockgarden. More pictures on www.zlatekapradi.cz (http://www.zlatekapradi.cz) :)
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Welcome, Pavel!
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Some cracking cushions there.
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As in natural. Dianthus arpadianus have 1 m across ;) and 15 years old.