Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
General Subjects => Flowers and Foliage Now => Topic started by: Lesley Cox on May 04, 2011, 10:51:34 AM
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A few autumn colour pics then a few flowers. We had some nice days earlier in the week but back now to fog, drizzle and heavy rain tonight. We're living in a swamp at present.
Polygonum affine 'Donald Lowndes,' a great ground cover, neat and tidy when green, beautiful with pink flowers which age to red then this wonderful crimson autumn colour. This changes to a bright tan which is held through the winter.
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Diapensia lapponica in its trough corner has gone from green to a reddish bronze shade.
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Two pics on opposite sides of the tree, of Sorbus sargentiana. It flowered and fruited this year but the fruit fell off quickly and seemed not to have seed in them.
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And my most favourite tree of all, a beech, now about 5 metres or a bit more. Pink leaves as they open in spring, blackest black in summer and this amazing Titian/auburn in autumn. I would have killed for hair this colour in my younger days.
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Oxalis massoniana has been later this year, perhaps because we've have little sun for a few weeks.
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Colchicum baytopiorum is paler than usual but will have a second flower for the first time since the original bulb in 1993! The whole patch is now about 18cms across.
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I had just two seedlings from seddex seed of Cyclamen coum ex 'Tilebarn Elizabeth.' They're quite different, the first is small, tight and with well marked leaves but not flowered yet.
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The other is much larger, with big, pewter group foliage and a huge flower of rich cherry pink, in a very attractive shape.
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And finally, a Dianthus seedling from D. alpinus 'Joan's Blood.' All in the batch of 30 were true except this one which appears to be a cross with D. deltoides 'Steriker.' Impossible to duplicate the colour here, a brilliantly startling deep cherry red, very hot, on a plant looser than alpinus but still short and compact. I am going to name it but haven't decided what, yet. Maybe 'Catherine Elizabeth' for my sister, maybe not.
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Yes, I have been very busy with the mail-orders as well and planting out thousands of bulbs again, which tasks seems to get harder every season, or is it that
I am slowing down ;D ;D and of course a bout of the old flu did not help either.
Not to worry, life goes on and so does the work in the nursery, no rest for the wicked.
Anyway, to start with the mysterious green autumn flowering, strongly scented Narcissus viridiflorus, a truly fascinating little plant and worth growing for the scent alone.
The beautiful and rare Cyrtanthus herrei is a very temperamental species, but for some unknown reason, has been free flowering this season.
Also flowering is a fine specimen of the Brunsvigia bosmaniae and the erratic but always welcome exquisite Paramongaia weberbaueri which is finished now and hopefully will produce some seed.
PS: Lesley your surprise parcel with the healthy Scoliopus bigelovii (I think) roots has arrived safely and already planted. Much appreciated.
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Good to see that hard work hasn't done for you yet, Bill! ;)
I've resized your paramongia pic for you... it was WAY over the 760 pixels wide rule!
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Bill your picture of Cyrtanthus herrei is lovely. I like the dark background it really shows the plant of well.
Angie :)
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Hi Angie,
you have taken the words out of my mouth. Love that Cyrtanthus herrei. Wish we could get it here. :)
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Yes, I have been very busy with the mail-orders as well and planting out thousands of bulbs again, which tasks seems to get harder every season, or is it that
I am slowing down ;D ;D and of course a bout of the old flu did not help either.
Not to worry, life goes on and so does the work in the nursery, no rest for the wicked.
Anyway, to start with the mysterious green autumn flowering, strongly scented Narcissus viridiflorus, a truly fascinating little plant and worth growing for the scent alone.
The beautiful and rare Cyrtanthus herrei is a very temperamental species, but for some unknown reason, has been free flowering this season.
Also flowering is a fine specimen of the Brunsvigia bosmaniae and the erratic but always welcome exquisite Paramongaia weberbaueri which is finished now and hopefully will produce some seed.
PS: Lesley your surprise parcel with the healthy Scoliopus bigelovii (I think) roots has arrived safely and already planted. Much appreciated.
Congratulations for the superb grown pot with Narcissus viridiflorus!!
Gerd
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I second that and hope to be able to repeat this in due course as I have just received seeds of this species and Narcissus obsoletus (it used to be classed as serotinus so I think it is allowed?). ;D
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Just had a visit from Bill. Had a long chat and am now in the happy circumstance of needing to find 30 pots to plant all the seeds and bulbs he parted with. ;D
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That was kind of him Anthony. You are in the happy position of being able to start garden notes from scratch, and keep good records of seed sown, plants planted etc, something I mean to start every New Year but it never extends beyond about Jan 5th. If only I could go back 63 years!
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I was just listening to the sweet music that must play in IY's glass house on 1st September? The sound of air bubbles rising in well soaked pots. That's the bulbs planted! 8) Now to find a source of cheap square pots. Thank goodness I brought my black labels and Dymo machine! ;D
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Anthony great to hear that you have been given some bulbs and seeds. Gardeners are so generous.
It will be great to hear and see how you get on growing over there. You will have a longer growing season over there and you will have so much fun getting new plants.
I would be in my element growing so much plants that would be tender over here.
Angie :)
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I think the growing season here is measured in years Angie. ;D
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Spotted protea this in a garden near Botany Downs Shopping Centre.
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Anthony, just a picture of Arum creticum you mentioned before, just to wet your appetite. ;D
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Just a few of the South African, always popular, winter flowering Oxalis species brightening up the nursery.
Oxalis species.JPG
Oxalis hirta.JPG
Oxalis meisneri.JPG
Oxalis hirta3.JPG
Oxalis massoniana.JPG
Oxalis-hirta2.JPG
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Superb. That and Pancratium maritimum, which always reminds me of my holidays in Spain, Mallorca and the Greek Islands. Thanks so much for your visit and for the generous helping of bulbs and seeds. The bulbs are all planted. Things grow so fast in Auckland that one of them's flowering already! ;D ;D Dave Toole gave me a link for square plastic pots. I think 9cm would be big enough to start seeds off in? I will investigate that source.
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The first of the early miniature Narcissi species, Narcissus cantabricus and the beautiful Veltheimia capensis flowering for us.
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Oxalis meisneri.
Hi Bill,
this Oxalis is possibily what I've had growing here (well, at Redesdale) as O. kaajvoegensis which I received years ago from a friend; I'd not been able to find any info under that name so will do some investigating when I'm home.
BTW it was coming into flower at the beginning of April for us, as was the green daff (which I'd never been able to flower in a pot the way you can!), so it seems our season was a bit ahead of yours. Right now in Barcelona the sun is shining and we have a couple of hours before we head to the airport to get to Portugal tonight.
cheers
fermi
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Oxalis meisneri.
Hi Bill,
this Oxalis is possibly what I've had growing here (well, at Redesdale) as O. kaajvoegensis which I received years ago from a friend; I'd not been able to find any info under that name so will do some investigating when I'm home.
BTW it was coming into flower at the beginning of April for us, as was the green daff (which I'd never been able to flower in a pot the way you can!), so it seems our season was a bit ahead of yours. Right now in Barcelona the sun is shining and we have a couple of hours before we head to the airport to get to Portugal tonight.
cheers fermi [/quote]
Fermi, its good to hear you're all enjoying yourselves, keep up the good work, take plenty of pictures for the forum to have a look at later.
As far as I am concerned Oxalis kaajvoegensis and Oxalis meisneri are the same species, I also received this species as O.kaajivoegensis but has now been changed to O.meisneri according to Terry Hatch, so much for the "bots" chopping and changing.
BTW: the Oxalis species and the Narcissus viridiflorus like yours, started flowering early April but did not get round to posting them till now.
Enjoy yourself, but take it easy in the night clubs and dancing with all those beautiful senorita's. Must get very tiring ;D ;D
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Nerine undulata alba, another little gem that forms a neat round head of lily-shaped flowers, delicately crimped at the edges.
Narcissus bulbocodium Jessamy can often be a fine plant well suited to pot culture.
The last picture is a nice, curiously shaped little Chrysanthemum, does anybody know the name of this cultivar? Thanks.
Nerine undulata alba
Narcissus bulbocodium Jessamy
Chrysanthemum variety?
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I've seen that flower type before but not on a chrysanthemum. Here's my jade plant flowering - good for catching drone flies for the geckos - and Protea cynaroides.
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Hi Anthony,
the protea is wonderful. Can't grow that in Scotland ;D ;D ;D
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I tried to get one to flower in my greenhouse in Dunblane. I know they manage in the Kibble Palace at the Glasgow botanic garden.
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In which medium did you grow it, Anthony?
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Almost pure perlite. Very similar to my cyp compost. It seems to require very little feeding, with the suggestion of dilute urea only and that only occasionally. I wonder where I get that? ::) Here in New Zealand I planted it in a large hole with very sandy substrate and no humus. It is in a north facing aspect to get the midday sun.
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I grew four different species from seed (brought back from South Africa by a volunteer working in the garden) at the Cruickshank garden some years ago. I remember at least two making flower buds but it was in the winter and too cool in the greenhouse with light levels too low for them to open properly.
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The delirious advice on urea possibly originated in the fact that their native soils have practically no nitrogen. I have seen good specimens grown in perlite and sawdust, 50 and 50.
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I've seen that flower type before but not on a chrysanthemum. Here's my jade plant flowering - good for catching drone flies for the geckos - and Protea cynaroides.
Wish I could grow a Protea here.
Angie :)
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Crocus minimus flowers for me in Sept and right through November, the longest season of any crocus for me. But C. minimus albus is in flower now, as it is in Australia, a full 4 months before its purple counterparts. It is so pristine and elegant. Mine is from Marcus in Tasmania who had it from Otto I think and he had it from Brian Mathew so impeccable provenance. :D
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I understood Proteas liked peaty soil, though I don't grow any myself.
Bill's Chrysanthemum is like some of the recent Osteospermum cultivars with quill-like petals.
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Here it is today after 24 hours of torrential rain.
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I've seen that flower type before but not on a chrysanthemum. [/i].
There are Osteospermum varieties with very similar flowers (http://www.thegardenhelper.com/pixpg/graphics/osteospermum.JPG) sold for some years.
Oops, I should read all posts. Lesley has been way faster. ;)
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'Whirligig' and 'Pink Whirls' are two of them.
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I was trying to think of 'Whirligig' when I posted that note. It was named as such by Terry Hatch of Auckland (Pukekohe) when he bred and released it years ago then someone in the UK called it something else.
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Wouldn't be surprised at all if that one got a lot of money from Terry's plant.
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The first of the Iris species to start off the season is a charming NZ selection of the Iris unguicularis Purple Trinity which I acquired from a local member of our BoP Iris group.
Another interesting early flowering hybrid is the Narcissus viridiflorus X Narcissus Seadream, seedling, a fertile, standard daffodil with a green corona, a welcome, charming early addition to this time of the season,, with the same powerfull delicate perfume of the species.
I have saved more pollen to make more crosses later, hopefully with some of the fertile, smaller species.
Not a bad start, wouldn't you agree Anthony,
Thanks Lesley and Alberto for the helpful info regarding the Chrysanthemum.
Iris unguicularis Purple Trinity
Narcissus viridiflorus seedling
Narcissus viridiflorus seedling (closeup)
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I would say a ****** good start! You are really teasing us Bill. ;D