PORTRAIT OF MORAVIAN SEED COLLECTOR

[Stone Rider]

A PORTRAIT OF MORAVIAN SEED COLLECTOR

   I think that western rock gardeners have some (different) experiences with the seed of three Czech seed collectors (Josef Jurášek, Vojtěch Holubec and Josef Halda). My intention is to uncover relatively young (47) professional gardener, nurseryman and seed collector Mojmír (read Moymir) Pavelka from Northern
Moravia. I plan to show you some plants he photographed and some of his last introductions.
  When the Brits John Watson and Jim Archibald stopped to operate in Turkey (1980´s), there was a gap in the market and it was filled from unknown collectors from Czech Republic. Later they enlarge their fields of interest into Caucasus Mts., Central Asia, Himalayas and Southern Europe. Seed collecting is terrible risky job in unknown terrain with unknown flowers and unknown weather. It is gambling and very often you are the loser because of bad action of weather, goats, sheep and police. We must admire this clan of fit people (famous Reginald Farrer was not too fit in Burma) and thanks them for bringing new treasures into cultivation.
  Mojmír Pavelka (see his advert as EUROSEEDS) very often runs his expedition with Josef Jurášek and they form good brave team of enthusiast and explorers. Mojmír is more precise with determination of new plants. I remember that Mojmír studied every winter Flora of Turkey to know where to go.
  Two days ago I travelled to Moravia to get new photographs from Mojmír for Czech Bulletin Skalničky. Some pictures are so outstanding that I decided to show them with help of my personal editor Maggie to your circle.





Ali Botush Mts. (Slavyanka Mts.) with Mt. Carev Vrch , Bulgaria
Daphne velenovskyi f. alba  (rare albino in the garden)
Centaurea parilica (form from Carev Vrch 2100m, Ali Botush)
Dianthus microlepis ssp. degeniii, Mt. Vichren, Pirin Mts.

[Lesley Cox]

Well, for Heaven's sake don't stop there ZZ. Having whetted our appetites you must continue to show pictures and tell us more about this collector and his beautiful plants. We are all waiting with baited breathe, and no doubt with credit cards at the ready.

[Stone Rider]

Well, for Heaven's sake don't stop there ZZ. Having whetted our appetites you must continue to show pictures and tell us more about this collector and his beautiful plants. We are all waiting with baited breathe, and no doubt with credit cards at the ready.

I will do my best. Thanks for your support. Your old friend Zdenek

[Gerdk]

Happy to spot a pic of the Alibotush region - renowned for the occurence of Viola delphinantha! Zdenek, Thank you for showing!

Gerd

[Susan Band]

I have grown many good plants from mojmir, his seed always has good germination. Have a look at his own website, his pictures of what he is offered to eat are unusual to say the least. www.pavelkaalpines.cz   
Susan

[Stone Rider]

Happy to spot a pic of the Alibotush region - renowned for the occurence of Viola delphinantha! Zdenek, Thank you for showing!

Gerd  The Viola delphinantha from this region has very red and long spurs. I collected it last year in early July down the bottom of showed limestone canyon

[Stone Rider]

The Bulgarian plants were photographed in 2008. This year Mojmír visited Spain and I will start with his pictures from the limestone massif Picos de Europa. The yellow colour of low Daphne laureola ssp. philippy is unusual.


Picos de Europa Mts.
Gentiana occidentalis
Daphne laureola ssp. philippi
Draba dedeana
Silene acaulis
Saxifraga aretioides
Matthiola fruticulosa
Thymelaea sp.
Narcissus asturiensis
Picos de Europa with animals

[Stone Rider]

The relatively low mountains towards Central Spain are not well known. Mojmír photographed at Teruel Mts and Sierra Cantabrica, quite nice plants. Geranium cinereum ssp. cinereum with deep rose flowers is desirable. Convolvulus lineatus is the lowest form.

Geranium cinereum ssp. cinereum
Petrocoptis glaucifolia
Convolvulus lineatus
Globularia nana
Globularia velutina
Polygala alpina
Aster sp.

[Stone Rider]

Thanks to Susan Band that we have the address (www.pavelkaalpines.cz) of the enormous Seed List with basic information about offered plants. Some of them like Silene bolanthoides or Linum boissieri (I helped to introduce them from Kaz Daglari, Turkey) are superb indeed. The content itself shows the terribly great range of operation of this Moravian. Somewhere over the big Spanish rainbow (the secret place) Mojmír discovered one ridge at elevation 1700-1900 m, where was a colony of the top rock garden flax Linum suffruticosum in very dwarf form (500 m lower this flax was more usual size-15 cm tall). He would like to go back there in the right time and provide us with the seed of this Spanish beauty with orange buds.


Linum suffruticosum , cushion
Linum suffruticosum, detail of more open plant
Linum suffruticosum, very dense and flat specimen

[Stone Rider]

Local blue flax is common; some forms are lower with larger flowers. Mojmír is proud for his introducing of many perennial species of the genus Phlomis. Every specialist tries to grow shrubby Viola cazorlensis from the limestones somewhere above olive oil village Cazorla. This Viola is not fully saxatile like V. delphinantha and is able to run in mineral soil in a cooler crevice. Mojmír grows it in loamy gritty soil in his tufa outcrop (some year it has fertile seed). Convolvulus boissieri is the best European saxatile species with silver leaves, slightly different in the Balkan Peninsula.

Linum narbonense
Phlomis lychnitis
Sierra Cazorla, village and limestone cliffs
Viola cazorlensis
Convolvulus boissieri
Halimium atriplicifolium
Paeonia brotheri
 

[maggiepie]

Wonderful photos, am enjoying them very much.
Unfortunately the Geranium cinereum ssp. cinereum and Globularia nana seeds are not listed. 

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Truly amazing pictures ZZ !!
So many rare and less known plants ! 
Thanks very much for showing ! And please go ahead and post many many more !

[mark smyth]

"Very good form of Matthiola fruticulosa"
It is excellent. My plant is shown below

Thanks for lovely photos ZZ

[Stone Rider]

Plant selection from big mountain Sierra Nevada is the last dance in the fresh Spanish rhythm. The highest ridges are formed from something looking like crystalline schist and there you can see the real miniature alpine (suitable for tufa cultivation) called Ptilotrichum purpureum. I grow myself in my limy soil the hedgehogs of Erinacea anthyllis. A real miracle is the shocking red Anthyllis vulneraria ssp. atlantis and the local spring Gentiana is distinct from G. verna.


Mt. Veleta, Sierra Nevada Mts.
Ptilotrichum purpureum
Draba aizoides
Ranunculus angustifolius ssp. uniflorus
Erinacea anthyllis
Anthyllis vulneraria ssp. atlantis
Gentiana sierrae

[angie]

Amazing pictures, so many I would love to have. Thanks for brightening up my dull day.
Angie