Recent Posts

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Meconopsis / Re: Meconopsis 2024

« Last post by Margaret Thorne on Today at 10:33:08 AM »

And typical Scottish winters are cold & long enough?

We know more about the requirements of M. punicea than other species because one of our members did an experiment sowing a set number of seeds every month and carefully recording the results; he found that early sowings were more successful than later ones.
As far as other species are concerned, I think all Meconopsis seed needs cold, though storage in the 'fridge before sowing seems to suffice. Once sown, ours then germinates in a couple of months. So, seed sown in February will germinate in April at the same time as seed sown the previous summer and with similar success. For the majority of species, therefore, there doesn't seem to be any advantage in sowing as soon as the seed is ripe (which then has to be looked after for longer to make sure it doesn't dry out). More detailed experimentation might find there are other species like M. punicea (maybe M. quintuplinervia?), but the majority of those more commonly grown don't appear to be.

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Meconopsis / Re: Meconopsis 2024

« Last post by arisaema on Today at 10:17:17 AM »

M. xcookei has always been described as sterile, so it would be very interesting to see photos of your plants when they flower. Could they have back-crossed with either of the parents?

No back-crossing, it's the only Meconopsis in my mother's garden... They're from a cross I made back in 2009 or so, I sold a bunch of them thinking it was regular punicea before realizing I had succeded. (One full pod of seeds out of some 10 attempt.) Some are loosely clumping, some running, some pink and some purple.

It's not very fertile, I have some 10 seedlings out of maybe 100 decent looking seeds collected 2019-23, although there's a chance more will germinate next year.

Old gallery here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.330369960427523&type=3

...and a couple of divisions flowering in Denmark now:

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Meconopsis / Re: Meconopsis 2024

« Last post by Margaret Thorne on Today at 09:46:14 AM »

They often did in Norway if sown too late in winter, so I'm hopeful, even if the climate is a bit milder here - x cookei was sown a month earlier and they have germinated from old seeds, if admittedly not very well. It may be that fresh seeds lack deep dormancy?

M. xcookei has always been described as sterile, so it would be very interesting to see photos of your plants when they flower. Could they have back-crossed with either of the parents?

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SRGC Shows Questions and Answers / Re: SRGC Show - Glasgow - in Bearsden - 4th May 2024

« Last post by Maggi Young on April 28, 2024, 09:44:50 PM »

Looking forward to our FREE Plant Show in Bearsden  next Saturday.  Plant Nurseries attending will be Ardfearn, Hartside, and Macplants Nursery and our SRGC  members' plant stall. Don't forget the unforgettable teas and cakes!  See you there.

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Flowers and Foliage Now / Re: April 2024 in the Northern Hemisphere

« Last post by Mike Ireland on April 28, 2024, 08:47:58 PM »

Cassiope wardii
Dicentra cuccularia
Still cool & damp so the plants are lasting in flower for so much longer.

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Plant Identification Questions and Answers / Re: Seen today

« Last post by Graham Catlow on April 28, 2024, 05:41:21 PM »

I knew it wouldn’t be long before someone identified it for me.
Many thanks arisaema.

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The International Rock Gardener - Feedback Forum / Re: International Rock Gardener - Index

« Last post by Maggi Young on April 28, 2024, 04:44:52 PM »

The index for the IRG  is updated. ....Latest IRG Index,  incl. for IRG 171 is online now
https://www.srgc.net/documents/irg/IRG-Index.pdf

 (Ashley says there's no need to thank him - I disagree!  ) 

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Flowers and Foliage Now / Re: April 2024 in the Northern Hemisphere

« Last post by Maggi Young on April 28, 2024, 04:43:51 PM »

Yes it is Maggie, it has been in the same large pot for about 35 years. As you can see its about twice the size of the pot.

good grief! That's a big one - doesn't seem to mind being potbound, does it - and it surely is at that size!!

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Plant Identification Questions and Answers / Re: Seen today

« Last post by arisaema on April 28, 2024, 04:40:14 PM »

It's an American, Jeffersonia diphylla

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Flowers and Foliage Now / Re: April 2024 in the Northern Hemisphere

« Last post by Robert on April 28, 2024, 04:33:42 PM »

Calochortus luteus is coming into bloom now. It is a fine species. The next generation of plants and hybrids will likely bloom next year. This species is highly variable, so there are many possibilities with this species.



Erythranthe guttata is a short-lived perennial species. I am working on developing a line of plants that are strongly perennial, and bloom profusely. Profusely blooming plants is easy, developing plants that will reliably live for more than 2 to 3 years is proving to be challenging.



My primary goal is to create plants that are practical garden plants. Triteleia ixioides ssp. scabra and Erythranthe guttata preform extremely well in a garden setting.



Diplacus pictus and Erthranthe guttata are thriving in our garden.



Triteleia hyacinthina and Iris hartwegii ssp. hartwegii are also thriving in our garden.