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General Subjects => Wisley Alpine Log – Feedback Forum => Topic started by: mark smyth on November 07, 2007, 10:46:24 PM

Title: Wisley LOG 7/11
Post by: mark smyth on November 07, 2007, 10:46:24 PM
I want sorry would like Massonias. What stunning plants.

How do I get to Wisley for the Hepatica day? Nearest airport and tube/bus please
Title: Re: Wisley LOG 7/11
Post by: mark smyth on November 07, 2007, 10:49:50 PM
sorry of course it's November
Title: Re: Wisley LOG 7/11
Post by: heinz tessner on November 08, 2007, 08:40:34 AM
what fantastic pictures: love this bulbs. A "must-see"
Many thanks for sharing. Now I "must" try to get more :D

Regards

Heinz
Title: Re: Wisley LOG 7/11
Post by: Andrew on November 08, 2007, 05:53:11 PM
Just two suppliers listed here in the UK and no listing for P. pygmaea which I saw when I visited in October :(.
Title: Re: Wisley LOG 7/11
Post by: Maggi Young on November 08, 2007, 05:57:37 PM
Andrew, do you mean only two suppliers of Massonia? 

What is the P. in P. pygmaea, please?
There was talk elswhere of Polyxena pygmaea, but do you mean MASSONIA pygmaea?
Title: Re: Wisley LOG 7/11
Post by: mark smyth on November 08, 2007, 06:23:19 PM
Ones the masked robber that I sometimes use!
Title: Re: Wisley LOG 7/11
Post by: Paul Cumbleton on November 09, 2007, 10:27:29 AM
There are indeed few suppliers of Massonia. Don't know which ones you already saw, but Terry Smale often has some ( see www.smale1.demon.co.uk/  -  though too late for this year of course). The best thing is to grow them from seed - they only take two to three years to flowering size. Details of technique on my next Wisley Log (due about 22 Nov). Good sources of supply are Gordon Summerfield or Silverhill Seeds. Another good option is to join the South African Bulb Group ( see http://biodiversity.cs.cf.ac.uk/sabg/ for details). Although this is essentially a group for those living in the South East of England, so getting to meetings is out for many of you, we nevertheless have our own seed and bulb exchange, which this year did include quite a few Massonias so you could have got some for almost no cost.

As for getting to Wisley for next year's Hepatica event Mark, Heathrow is the nearest airport. For further details of exactly how to locate and get to Wisley, see the RHS website's pages on Wisley starting at www.rhs.org.uk/WhatsOn/Gardens/wisley/
Title: Re: Wisley LOG 7/11
Post by: mark smyth on November 09, 2007, 11:36:21 AM
How to Reach RHS Garden Wisley

By road
The garden lies between Cobham and Ripley in Surrey, off the main London to Portsmouth road (A3) south of Junction 10 of the M25.

Follow the brown tourist flower signs on the A3 and M25 to RHS Garden. Car parking is free.
 
By bus
515 Kingston to Guildford via Surbiton and Wisley. For details call National Traveline on 0870 608 2608.

By rail
Waterloo to Portsmouth line.
Nearest Railway Stations: West Byfleet BR (3 miles) or Woking BR (4 miles) and then by taxi.
NB: There are no taxis on standby at West Byfleet.
Guildford BR station (10 miles) and then by 515 bus to Kingston stopping at Wisley Garden.

The Surrey Parks and Gardens Explorer Bus
This bus (service 515) runs once an hour Monday to Saturday, and four times a day on Sundays (service 515A). It stops at Surbiton, Esher, Claremont Gardens, Painshill Park, RHS Garden Wisley and Guildford.
For details call National Traveline on 0870 608 2608.
Show your 515 bus ticket and get the reduced entry rate of £5.50 (normal rate £7.50) into the garden.

RHS Wisley Bus
The Wisley Bus operates from Woking Railway Station to RHS Garden Wisley, from Monday 30 April to Friday 28 September 2007; Monday to Friday only, including bank holidays.
It leaves Woking Railway Station at 11.15am (pick-up point at the Wisley Bus Stop on The Broadway; on the town side of the station).
It leaves Wisley at 4.30pm to return to Woking Railway Station.
Return fares: adults £5, children £2.50, payable to the bus driver.
There will be a 'Wisley Gardens' sign with an RHS logo on the bus’ destination board to identify it.

Go by public transport
Visitors who produce their train or bus ticket on the day of their visit will gain entry at the Group Rate.
Title: Re: Wisley LOG 7/11
Post by: SueG on November 09, 2007, 02:53:13 PM
Great to see the Massonias, I've just joined the SA bulb group and have kindly been given some massonia seed, so can't wait for the next installment on how to grow them. What good news that they are so quick to flower too!
Sue
Title: Re: Wisley LOG 7/11
Post by: Maggi Young on November 09, 2007, 02:58:51 PM
Quote
What good news that they (Massonias) are so quick to flower too!

I'm impressed by that timescale, never having grown them from seed I somehow thought they would take longer. Perhaps I am just so used to so many of the things we grow taking umpteen years to flower that I am broken down to expect that from everything! :-[
Perhaps I should sprout some mung beans to cheer myself up? ;)
Title: Re: Wisley LOG 7/11
Post by: Andrew on November 09, 2007, 03:53:17 PM
Andrew, do you mean only two suppliers of Massonia? 

Yes, as listed by the RHS plant finder.

What is the P. in P. pygmaea, please?

There was talk elswhere of Polyxena pygmaea, but do you mean MASSONIA pygmaea?

Yes, Senior moment :D
Title: Re: Wisley LOG 7/11
Post by: Hans J on November 09, 2007, 04:23:01 PM
Hi all ,

I have in this time still seeds of Massonia pustulata from my own plants -if anybody is interestet to swap .....please PM me !
I have grown my plants from seeds ( bougth from a german Cacti Nursery ) -they need from sowing till flowering araound 10 years - but I think it is possibly to make it faster....

Greetings
Hans
Title: Re: Wisley LOG 7/11
Post by: Paul Cumbleton on November 09, 2007, 05:27:56 PM
Hans I am really surprised that your seeds took 10 years to flower - Massonias are usually very quick to flower from seed. I have grown all the species this way and nearly all have flowered in their 3rd year. Perhaps you were unlucky and got a form that behaves differently. How did you grow them?
Title: Re: Wisley LOG 7/11
Post by: Hans J on November 09, 2007, 05:44:11 PM
Hi Paul ,

Yes - I think also I make a lot wrong - but in this time I had really no knowlwgde for this plants .
I have read one article about in a german Cacti bulletin and with a lot of luck I have get this seeds .
I had treat them like my cacti - this was not so good - they all summergrowers . After some years I had realized that they growing in winter and they like in summer dry .....
That was really learning by doing ! ( from all this seedlings have survived two ....) but now they grow happy !
I'm a patient grower - my Erytrina christa - galli has flowered after sowing first in 12 years !
A cacti ( Lobivia bruchii ) that I have growing from seeds ( w.c. in year 1986 ) shows his first buds last year.....
Title: Re: Wisley LOG 7/11
Post by: Loripep on November 09, 2007, 06:15:50 PM
Any chance there will be some sort of publication of the hepatica presentations given at Wisley for us international folk?

Lori
Title: Re: Wisley LOG 7/11
Post by: Paul Cumbleton on November 09, 2007, 07:18:31 PM
Hi Lori,
That's a really good question and to be honest it had not crossed our minds - it's the first time the department has organised anything like this ourselves! Whether or not we can publish the proceedings in some way will depend on the goodwill of our speakers allowing this. I will ask them if they would consider this. Thanks for the idea!

Paul
Title: Re: Wisley LOG 7/11
Post by: mark smyth on November 09, 2007, 11:15:08 PM
or the photos and transcript could appear here
Title: Re: Wisley LOG 7/11
Post by: Paul T on November 12, 2007, 11:22:01 AM
Wonderful pics of Massonia.  I'd love to grow all of them, particularly that purple leafed form.  I currenntly grow depressa, jasminiflora (seedlings that have flowered range white to pale mauve) and seedlings of pustulata which may actually be echinata I have been informed since.  I really love your superior flower form of the jasminiflora.  Now I'd just like to find plants or seeds of all of these, particularly that form of jasminiflora, forms of pustulata and the little pygmae.  Wonderful, wonderful plants that add a touch of interest in their leaves alone (like the Haemanthus).

Great log, and I look forward to the Daubenya (a genus I have been wanting to grow for many years but haven't been able to acquire yet) log next week, particularly the pictures.  I don't think I've seen a pic of a Dubenya yet that I haven't liked.... the flowers are so intricate and extremely desirable (spoken like a collector of course!!  ;D)

Thanks for the log.  8)
Title: Re: Wisley LOG 7/11
Post by: Diane Whitehead on November 13, 2007, 03:21:30 AM
Paul,

Have you any idea of how many people can attend the hepatica
talks?  I missed out on the Czech conference because fewer
could fit in the lecture room than wanted to be there.  Is this
likely to happen at Wisley?
Title: Re: Wisley LOG 7/11
Post by: Paul Cumbleton on November 13, 2007, 09:16:16 AM
Hi Diane,
Gosh are you really considering coming from Canada? That's brilliant! The maximum number of people we are allowed in the meeting room is 100, so that is how many tickets will be available. I have no idea how popular this is going to be - we have not done anything like this with Hepatica before, so have nothing to go on. I suppose "book early to avoid disappointment" would be the best advice.
Title: Re: Wisley LOG 7/11
Post by: Loripep on November 13, 2007, 01:31:47 PM
CAn you smuggle me in your suitcase Diane?

Lori
Title: Re: Wisley LOG 7/11
Post by: shelagh on November 13, 2007, 02:09:33 PM
Maggi what the hell are you going to do with beansprouts? You're not turning into a veggie are you? I always had you down as a good trencherwoman like myself. The thought of you heading towards size 0 is too depressing for words.
Title: Re: Wisley LOG 7/11
Post by: Maggi Young on November 13, 2007, 08:35:55 PM
Quote
Maggi what the hell are you going to do with beansprouts? You're not turning into a veggie are you? I always had you down as a good trencherwoman like myself. The thought of you heading towards size 0 is too depressing for words.

Fear not, Friend, I will feed any sprouted beans to the neighbour's bunny rabbits. I only eat such stuff myself (with generous helpings of smoked bacon and salami) to help me work up an appetite in warm weather.....! ::)
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