Visit to the Pleione nursery of Ian Butterfield

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Just as a "fix" for Pleione lovers who have been left on their hunger for the last few months, I'll post some pictures taken earlier this year, when I had the opportunity for a blitz-visit to Ian Butterfield's Yaffles nursery where he grows his magic Pleione.

There were so many and there was so little time, that alas, I missed quite a lot of names - another lot of the new hybrids that were flowering for the first time were still without name, so please excuse me for these "unnamed" beauties, but at least you can still admire the enormous range of colours and -combinations that are now being grown.

Here we go :

Pictures 1 to 6 are Pleione I failed to note the name of.

7 and 8 were as yet unnamed

9) Pleione eastfield "Purple emperor'

10) Pleione edgecombe "Bat Hawk"

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Some more :

1) Pl. harlequin "Norman"
2) Pleione "Jake Butterfield"
3) Pleione katmai "Strawberry fields"

4) Pleione magelik "Black..." (sorry, missed the rest of the name...  )
.... now ID'd by Maren as Pleione Mageik 'Black Kite'

5) Pl. salek "Eagle Owl"
6) Pl. sharon ann winter
7) Pl. sharon ann winter
8 ) Pl. zeus weinstein "Egret" - sorry, the picture is blurry, but I still wanted to show it because it is so totally different from the other clones of zeus weinstein.
9) Pl. leda - a trayfull, showing the enormous variation in this cross
10) Pl. krakatoa "Wheatear" - a trayfull of this one clone of krakatoa that also is a very variabe cross

[Luc Gilgemyn]

As a closing statement of this little thread, just two pictures of part of the greenhouses...

 

You will agree, I didn't photograph all of the Pleione... 

1) is a general view of the greenhouse
2) is part of the bench, where all the newest crosses are flowering for the first time

[Maggi Young]

Wow! What a great surprise for today..... an out of season Pleione "fix" 

Pleione edgecombe 'Bat Hawk' is really lovely, that colour leaps out at me. 

Thanks, Luc!

[Luc Gilgemyn]

You're welcome Maggi !
I hope the poor Pleione lovers, deprived of their favourite plants over the last few months, will enjoy this "fix". I had saved it for a rainy day...  

I hope I have'nt caught them off garde and out of season so that they don't miss it.

[ThomasB]

I really enjoy this fix - especially as I happened to receive Ian Butterfield's new catalogue via mail yesterday. 
All of these Pleiones are great but I'm in love with Salek 'Eagle Owl' and Edgecombe 'Bat Hawk'. Thank you, Luc!

[karel_t]

Hi Luc,
Amazing collection of Ian's hybrids. I've visited him every spring since 2005.
So, I'm able to establish these several Ian's P. ...xyz from your first band:
Pic. 2 = P. Edgecombe
Pic. 3 = P. Leda 'Golden Pipit'
Pic. 4 = P. Makian 'Jeeny'
Pic. 5 = P. Soufiere
Pic. 6 = P. Makia x P. Mageik
Pic. 7 = P. Caroli x P. Marion Johnson

Karel.

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Thank you very much Karel, great to have some more names.

Actually, I think we might have visited Ian on the very same day last Spring as he told me he was expecting another visitor from the Czech republic later in the day.....

[karel_t]

Here I add better photo of Ian's P. Zeus Weinstein 'Egret'.
This year I've made my own re-make of Zeus Weinstein used white P. formosana to obtain fully yellow flower. So I'll see ...
K.

[Graham Catlow]

A very pleasant surprise Luc 

Zeus Weinstein 'Egret' would find a good home with me.
How long is it until Spring?

Graham

[Pieter]

Very nice pictures Luc.

Thanks.
It is wonderful to see all those flowers. Especialy at the start of autum. The time of year that we see the bulbs showing the first new buds for next spring.

Greetings.

Pieter

[ashley]

Thanks very much Luc.  What an incredible sight

[Maren]

Luc, what a lovely idea, you're right, can't wait to get going again. Look what I saw yesterday at the AGS Chiltern Branch Conference.

I immediately identified it as Pleione chlorophytum, na, just kidding, it was in fact a variegated form of Pln Captain Hook, exhibited by, guess who, Ian Butterfield.  When I collared him about it, he gave his usual mischievous smile and said that that was just one of his variegated clones.

He depressed me very deeply the other day when he picked up a pot containing about 4 Pleione maculata, lifting it by a leaf. What a way to show that there is a fantastic root system. Oh dear.

Thank you Luc, I believe another visit is indicated.

[karel_t]

Yes Maren, that is typical Ian 

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Great to know everybody enjoyed this "Pleione fix" !
Maren, you're absolutely right, more visits to Ian's treasure house are indicated... although very bad for a Pleione addict's financial situation....