Flowering now August 2007

[Paul T]

Brian,

Fantastic photos.  I just love that Veratrum nigrum in particular.  What a glorius colour to the flowers, and looks like a substantial plant too.  One to look out for around the place I think.

You too Chris.  Your Hellebores obviously think they should be holidaying in the Southern Hemisphere so they're flowering with ours!  )

[annew]

Any more info on Geranium lambertii? It looks very nice. Franz those seed photos are super!

[Paddy Tobin]

A few from the garden today.

Arisaema consanguineum 'Silver Centre' - flower
Arisaema consanguineum 'Silver Centre' - Leaf
Cautleya spicata 'Robusta'
Cautleya spicata 'Robusta' - close-up
Codonopsis clematidea
Codonopsis lanceolata
Codonopsis species
Roscoea cautleoides
Roscoea 'Beesianum'
Roscoea 'Beesianum'

I'm not entirely happy with the last named above; memory fails me.

Now, that's my lot for today.


Paddy

[Paul T]

Paddy,

Some stunners there.  The codonopsis are glorious!!  Love those Roscoeas too.

Brian,

What are the leaves of Veratrum nigrum like?  The more I htought about it the more I recalled receiving some seed of it last year (Lesley I think?).  To my knowlege I have only had identifiable weeds grow in the seed pot in question, but I am wondering what the leaves should be like just in case I do actually get something germinate that should be in there.  They've been in for a year now, so I'm figuring that I've either had no germination, or pulled out the results.... or they germinated in the middle of sumemr and frazzled very quickly in our aweful summer nad I never saw them! 

[Lesley Cox]

Mmmm, the second Roscoea is new to me and very nice indeed, and even more so, the lovely silver leaf on the Arisaema.

Paul your Veratrum seed didn't come from me. I have it but not flowering size yet. I've had seed a couple of times from V. album but I'm pretty sure I've sown all that myself. The seedlings are not unlike those of a larger Fritillaria or a Lilium, shorter though - just a single leaf and the sides not quite parallel, i.e. slighter wider toward the middle/top. They just make the one leaflet in the first year or even two years. Generally, they germinate reliably from fresh seed, perhaps after a few months. Certainly within a year.

[Paul T]

Must check my records and find out who it was.  So it's a monocot not a dicot?  I definitely wouldn't have pulled out unusual leaves like those, so it mustn't have germinated.

[rob krejzl]

Paul,

If you want this now, try Sally J, she has several Veratrums's for sale, including nigrum, last I looked.

[Paul T]

Thanks Rob.  I may look into it once I am working and actually have some money again.  Until then I am barely even visiting local nurseries as I know I shouldn't spend any money.    These things are sent to test us! 

[Brian Ellis]

Sorry Paul the time difference means I've only just seen your query, thanks to Lesley for the answer.  You have a lot to answer for as I had to go back into the garden and take a few snaps   Here then is the base of the Veratrum nigrum and an offset, I am still waiting for more Eucomis to flower, I must be getting more and more impatient   My least (?) favourite plants are quite showy, here is Dahlia "Nuit d'Ete" and "Blooms Graham", much nicer is the Balloon flower - Platycodon, well named for the shape of the bud.  At long last the Galtonia are flowering as is the Abutilon and the Salvia confertifolia in the glasshouse - no sign of a flower yet on this outside.

[Paul T]

Brian,

I'm not going to apologise..... the extra pics were worth it!!    Those leaves were totally different to what I was expecting on the Veratrum, but now that I've seen them I can see why Lesley gave the seed leaf shape she did.  Those leaves are more like some sort of Orchid species, or is that what Veratrum actually are?  Their flowers look almost like a Verbascum or something, so to be honest I was expecting some sort of fuzzy leaves like a Foxglove.  Your pics were so NOT what I was expecting!!  So cool!!  (Just checked books and they are Lilaceae / Melianthaceae apparently, so definitely not an orchid)

I've checked and my seeds from last year were from Dave Toole in NZ, so I was at least thinking the right country Lesley.  It also means that they would have germinated by now if they were going to.  I was thinking that they might have come from the northern hemisphere and needed a winter before germinating.  I obviously did something wrong, which isn't that unusual.  I seem to do extremely well with bulb seed, but perennials don't like me quite so much it seems! 

[Paddy Tobin]

Paul,

The leaves of the veratrum are very attractive with a distinctive pleating lengthwise. It is just as well that they are attractive as the wait for flowering can be quite long. I have V. album in the garden, photographs to follow, and really must chase after V. nigrum. Brian's plant is very attractive.

I fell in love with the codonopsis several years ago and have found them a great plant to put behind the smaller azaleas and rhododendrons as they will climb over them, but in a very light and gentle manner, and give interest during the summer time while their support plants are out of flowers.

Lesley,

I have added a photograph of Arisaema consanguineum 'Silver Centre' for your attention. It shows the stalks of three plants. You will notice that two have the mottled markings so often associated with arisaema species while one is a light green. The flowers and leaves of all three plants are the same. An odd one, don't you think?



Also two Zantedeshias - just for a blast of colour.

Paddy

[Paddy Tobin]

Brian,

Forgive my thoughtlessness. Loved the plants. Salvia confertifolia is certainly a brightly coloured one, very nice. Also, I spot that you have one of these purple-leafed eucomis with the others photographed and that the pink/purplish flower spike about to open seems to be from a green-leafed plant. That struck me as unusual.

Paddy

[Brian Ellis]

Paul, as Paddy says the leaves are most attractive, highly pleated.  Unfortunately the snails think so too - hence the gravel around them. They are a bit iffy about flowering sometimes, my V.album seems to have decided that it won't oblige this year.

Paddy I must agree, your photos of the codonopsis are super, here in the dry East of England I have had the poorest year ever with them, and my favourite c.grey-wilsoni (named after Kit) was eaten by the **** rabbits.  The Eucomis is one named "Cabernet Candles" - it came from Ireland   I do love them and have a few different cultivars.  Salvia confertifolia is what I think of as a fun plant, quite different and tender.  In a good autumn it flowers spectacularly in the garden when colour is a bit short from flowers.

[Paddy Tobin]

A few more from yesterday - raining too heavily today to get out.

Eucomis bicolor
Eucomis bicolor
Eucomis 'Burgundy'
Eucomis 'Burgundy'
Watsonia cultivar
Watsonia cultivar

Paddy

[Paddy Tobin]

A few  more:

Dierama cultivar
Dierama aff 'Blackbird'
Crinum powellii
Crinum powellii
Crinum powellii Alba
Crinum powellii Alba
Eucryphia x nymanensis 'Nymansay'
Eucryphia x nymanensis 'Nymansay'