Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
General Subjects => Flowers and Foliage Now => Topic started by: johnralphcarpenter on November 01, 2013, 07:25:35 PM
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Amazingly, on 1st November we still have a few Crocosmia in flower (sort of)!
Camellia oleifera.
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Amazingly, on 1st November we still have a few Crocosmia in flower (sort of)!Camellia oleifera.
Very nice Camellia John. I did not expect such a nice flower on oleifera from what I've read. I finally have buds formed on August-produced shoots on RHS RCM seed. Are your leaves matte? Have here are matte and the others semi-matte, leaves are rather elongated compared to japonica.
johnw - +17c and blowing a gale here.
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Very nice Camellia John. I did not expect such a nice flower on oleifera from what I've read. I finally have buds formed on August-produced shoots on RHS RCM seed. Are your leaves matte? Have here are matte and the others semi-matte, leaves are rather elongated compared to japonica.
johnw - +17c and blowing a gale here.
No, leaves are glossy; picture attached. The only one I have with sort of matte leaves is Camellia granthamiana, and even these are shiny matte, if that is possible (also pictured)
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Although I still had a few alpines in flower, everything is now buried! We had around 10-15cm on Oct 28, though a lot of that melted, then sat/sunday we got another around 35cm....
1- part of some new xeric beds/berms - showing part of why this is the right spot for xeric beds- there is less snow cover at this end of the yard, and in front of a large spruce..
2-rock gardens, berms etc in the lower, wetter end of the acreage, much deeper snow...
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Ah well, no more weeding or grass-cutting for this season then, cohan? ( always a silver lining of some kind!)
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John
Seems as if I have a problem then. I have 5 or 6 labelled oleifera from the RHS RCM Group. One of those has glossy leaves resembling japonica but the others have matte narrowish foliage. I photograph the narrow flower buds and foliage tomorrow.
johnw
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Cohan, I love your pictures of the snow with the blue shadows, beautiful. At least you can say that your plants are now protected. Does your snow cover usually stay through the winter?
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Maggi- indeed, no more outdoor gardening for months to come! I can't complain since we had a good fall stretch of dry warmish weather, good for working outdoors but enough frosty nights to get most plants ready for dormancy.. Now the work shifts to shovelling snow and cutting/hauling firewood!
Anne- thanks- yes, there is lots of beauty in this season, thank goodness- need some kind of upside! I was already building my gardens in ridges and berms to enhance drainage etc, but realised over winter that the mounds add greatly to the winter interest under the snow. As to snow remaining- we usually have pretty consistent cover in mid-winter, though plants need to be able to take some pretty low temperatures exposed, as it can happen in fall, spring or worst of all, late winter. We can get to at least -20C before snow cover stays, though this year, we only got to around -14C or so before the snow came.
Most at risk are dry areas of the property- along south edge of spruce trees, fences, walls etc (such as where I've put my xeric beds (so far for native and other western North American plants), also at the higher/drier end of the yard), and certain parts of the woods (don't have any plantings in there yet) where snow never seems to settle more than a few inches, and can easily become exposed during warmish spells. Natives such as Pyrolas and to a lesser extent Linnaea and Mitella, are often exposed in these late winter warm-ups and are still able to survive with temps that go back down to -20 to -30C or worse, and sit very dry during the warm spells with the ground still frozen.
My eurasian rock gardens and berms (second photo in my previous post) are in the lower wetter end of the property, and mid-winter snow cover usually remains at around/over a foot during the coldest months, though likely a bit less on raised/sloped plantings.
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Here is the last of Sax. fortunei in pots to come into flower it's called Conwy Snow and if you look carefully some of the flowers seem to be semi double. Rather pretty. The ones in the garden were ruined by a very heavy hailstorm last Saturday.
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Shelagh, I'm quite taken with Sax. fortunei. I have one in the garden that does reasonably well. I can't remember it's name but in the unlikely event that it doesn't chuck it down tomorrow I'll check on it. Do you grow yours in pots for showing or do they do better than in the garden?
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Morning David,
We have 3 or 4 in pots for the late Shows and about the same number in the garden. Sax. fortunei Early Ruby is the largest specimen and when it flowers well looks like an old fashioned Roman Candle. We haven't tried this one outside. Sax. fortunei Mount Naachi does well outside as do S. f. obtusocuneatum which is just about the smallest of them all. They certainly seem to survive all our weather up here in Bury and ofcourse the Aberconwy varieties all seem pretty hardy. Those in pots stay in the cold frames all year unless we are trying to bring out the flowers for Shows when they have a short sojourn in the greenhouse.
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Thanks for that Shelagh, I shall look out for some more. Mine is 'Rubrifolia', way past it's best now but it's a good doer.
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this year, cold don't want to come here in Burgundy, then autumn leaves are not so nice than classic years, but Corylus americana has so nice nuts ! Acer cissifolium and Betula lenta
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Lovely mellow colours Dominique.
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Camellia sasanqua 'Maiden's Blush' looks good next to the autumn colours of Rhdodendron luteum
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(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-uAnlr5O41_s/Un5SwsG7BJI/AAAAAAAAXs0/T_RTJvIt2RA/s640/IMG_0454-all.jpg)
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-NZtmNtBnweM/Un5S4i5_K4I/AAAAAAAAXs8/SehjQ0848lk/s640/IMG_0455-all.jpg)
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-VKKHPLTLhKw/Un5TEMbC_3I/AAAAAAAAXtE/zlK7C-oMpz4/s640/IMG_0466-all.jpg)
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-QZb_IS0gPsQ/Un5UE-baaxI/AAAAAAAAXtY/UXAtWI7ryCU/s640/CAM01559-1.jpg)
Hi!
Winter approaches, but Spring is coming to My Garden...Crazily...
Best Regards! zvone
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Here is the last of Sax. fortunei in pots to come into flower it's called Conwy Snow and if you look carefully some of the flowers seem to be semi double. Rather pretty. The ones in the garden were ruined by a very heavy hailstorm last Saturday.
Very beautiful your Conwy Snow ;)
In my Berlin garden the Saxifraga are in flower for weeks, no frost until today, I love them :D
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That looks a good one Irm.
Yesterday's sun made me venture into the garden and I discovered that the SaX. f's hadn't been completely destroyed by the hail storm. The garden is very wet as you can see, the first picture shows from R to L. Sax. f. obtusocuneatum, Sax. f. Mount Naachi, then there are 2 whose labels have faded beyond recognition. One must be Sax. f. Autumn Tribute but I'm afraid I don't remember if is pink or white.
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Sun! Yesterday! Haven't seen it for weeks here!
Lovely collection Shelagh.
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Irm and Shelagh are both doing better with those plants in the garden than they do here :'(
I'm shocked at how very good your plants look, Shelagh, after such bad weather.
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They may be small but they're tough Maggi. Remind you of anyone :o ;D
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They may be small but they're tough Maggi. Remind you of anyone :o ;D
Now you come to mention it.............
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This Acer is showing some nice autumn colour. And Camellia transnokoensis has nice reddish new leaves and buds.
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This Acer is showing some nice autumn colour.
Indeed it is - very golden. 8) What species is it ? I don't recognise those long leaves - though I expect I should! :-\
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I think it's an A. palmatum cultivar - I'll see if I can find a label, but it was planted some ten years ago and labels tend to disappear!
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Ralph: Ian says might it be Acer palmatum 'Scolopendrifolium' ?
Looking for a link to one.......
edit : THIS (http://www.kiginursery.com/maples/acer-palmatum-scolopendrifolium-japanese-maple/) looks about right ( I hate it when the BD beats me to an ID!)
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Quite possible. I bought a load of Acer palmatum cultivars from a specialist nursery that used to be near Ashford (at Aldington) when they closed down due to retirement. I'll look for a label if we get any daylight tomorrow.
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Well, found the remains of two labels under the mulch, very decayed and almost illegible. One is Acer palmatum 'Shindeshojo', but that isn't our plant; the other label fragment pretty indecipherable - I keep coming back to it and every time it looks different! Hey ho!
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Well, found the remains of two labels under the mulch, very decayed and almost illegible. One is Acer palmatum 'Shindeshojo', but that isn't our plant; the other label fragment pretty indecipherable - I keep coming back to it and every time it looks different! Hey ho!
Well tried, Ralph! Do you think GCHQ has a query line? ::) ;) ;D
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I think even they would struggle with this!
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Some autumn colours this November. Cornus controversa 'Variegata' doesn't really colour but is a year round beauty for its habit and variegated leaves. Next to it is Magnolia x loebneri 'Leonard Messel', which must be one of the very best varieties - relatively small and free and reliably flowering. The stakes beneath these delineate a rough grass area planted up with bulbs, which I hope to slowly develop as Brian Mathew describes in one of his books - gradually incorporating more and more species.
Mahonia gracilipes grows at the south end of the glasshouse, where it develops these rich autumn colours (though it is evergreen). A fascinating species with a silvery underside to the leaves and flowers of red and creamy-yellow. (This is nicely pictured in Daniel Hinckley's book 'The Explorer's Garden - Shrubs and Vines', taken in Roy Lancaster's garden who introduced it from Mt. Emei in Sichuan).
Unusually free flowering of Daphne retusa this autumn, perhaps as a result of the long dry summer and now long wet and relatively mild autumn?!
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Love the Daphne.
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Gentians still flowering about 10 days ago
Gentiana 'Saltire'
Gentiana 'Shot Silk'
Gentiana 'The Caley'
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Trochocarpa thymifolia
Petrocoptis iodioides aff.
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Roma - the Trochocarpa is really fascinating; saw this exhibited by Tim Lever at the autumn Rainham Show and must learn more about it.
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Trochocarpa thymifolia
I'm not sure whether this little charmer is still listed as in Epacridaceae or simply Ericaceae - some more here :
http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=6858.0 (http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=6858.0)
and Rob K. gave this link for a key.....
thymifolia has leaves with stalks 1-2 mm long, blades 2-4 mm long, almost circular, slightly convex, with a blunt point.
Might be T. cunninghamii, the leaves here are held in two alternate rows, arranged horizontally; narrow and oval-shaped but coming to a point and about 7-10 mm long.
Key for Trochocarpa: http://www.utas.edu.au/dicotkey/dicotkey/EPACRIDS/gTrochocarpa_1.htm (http://www.utas.edu.au/dicotkey/dicotkey/EPACRIDS/gTrochocarpa_1.htm)
Trococarpa occur naturally through coastal and montane eastern Australian rainforests and mountain shrublands and in New Guinea, Borneo and Sulawesi.
I have a Trochocarpa thymifolia (bought from Aberconwy!) growing in the garden in the wall of a raised bed - not seeing too many flowers though......
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My Trochocarpa came from Ron McBeath in 2009. It was flowering well in early 2011 when I took it to the Early Bulb Display at Dunblane in February. It has been flowering off and on but this is the first time since then that it has flowered well. It is kept in the cold frame and gets full sun in the summer and none at all in midwinter. The lack of flowers may have been due to lack of water at times as it is a thirsty plant.
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A spell of cold weather with freezing at night took all the remaining leaves off the Davidia involucrata leaving only the nuts hanging like Christmas ornaments.
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Great picture David, made me smile ;)
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A spell of cold weather with freezing at night took all the remaining leaves off the Davidia involucrata leaving only the nuts hanging like Christmas ornaments.
How long will the nuts stay on the tree? I can imagine they would look very festive rimed with frost......
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They would stay on the tree past Christmas but the squirrels get most of them. They chew off the fleshy outer coating and leave the hard nuts on the ground. Some germinate in the mulch.
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Thank you David. I'd have thought squirrels might have eaten fruit and seed.
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They would stay on the tree past Christmas but the squirrels get most of them. They chew off the fleshy outer coating and leave the hard nuts on the ground. Some germinate in the mulch.
I've heard only one of the two seeds per pod is viable. Wonder if that's true?
We are having a hell of a time establishing this tree here. One thing we do know is that Davidia involucrata v. involcrata is hopelessly tender here and at the Arnold where was introduced to NA. But var. vilmoriniana is thoroughly hardy in Boston at the Arnold. It been disaster central here with the latter, we get it going and some idiot invariably whipper-snippers the bark off. And worse the latter var. is not so easy to find as sources are in the west and they do not separate the vars.
Sorry David I just realized your in BC. I've seenlings coming up at the entrance to the Ted & Mary Greig Garden, think Cook planted that one.
johnw
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I've heard only one of the two seeds per pod is viable. Wonder if that's true?
Not true! Someone posted a picture of seven (!) germinating seeds from just one nut (pod) on a German tree forum some years ago.
http://www.baumkunde.de/forum/viewtopic.php?t=8159&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=keimt&start=75 (http://www.baumkunde.de/forum/viewtopic.php?t=8159&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=keimt&start=75)
I admit this is exceptional: 2 to 3 seems the norm.
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Thank you David. I'd have thought squirrels might have eaten fruit and seed.
The pods are really too large and difficult for squirrels to deal with as they have a very hard woody casing. The squirrels just chew the fleshy part on the outside.
I have tried propagating in pots without success. Digging up seedlings is much easier ;D
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I have tried propagating in pots without success.
They are not difficult to propagate from seed but it takes time.
Davidia seed first needs a 3 to 4 month warm period followed by a cold period of equal duration. Many seeds will start germinating with rising temperatures after this cold period.
So if you sow Davidia seeds outside in the autumn of 2013 you can expect germination in the spring of 2015.
You can 'cheat' by placing the seeds somewhere warm (in a ziplock bag with slightly moist sowing compost) for 3 to 4 months and then place it in the fridge for the same duration of time. After this you can sow the seeds. I have done this but success rate was much lower in comparison with sowing outside.
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GP - Have to find an isolated fruiting var. vilmoriniana first.
Do you think the warm 3 mos. followed by cold 3 mos. would work with Kalopanax too?
johnw
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Quite a lot of frost in the last few days here in Stirling. Today is better. Still some colour in the garden: Gentian 'Alex Duguid' (G.farreri Duguid's Form) taken with an iPhone this afternoon on 26th November.
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Five Novemper pictures from the greenhouse.
White flowers like the first few snowflakes outside.
I sowed Narcissus tazette labeld as Narcissus serotinus. I think it is Narcissus tazette - maybe it is a Hybrid. Nevertheless I like the tiny flowers at the end of the year.
Haemanthus albiflos, Massonia pustulata, Galanthus elwesii var. monostictus
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Really do like that Petrocoptis iodioides!
Can't compete with that, but I have a couple of Salvia blooming strongly at the moment;
S.elegans.................
(http://i1101.photobucket.com/albums/g430/longk48/DSC_1812a.jpg)
Wendys Wish is a real doer over the course of a season. This was a cutting taken in May, still blooming in late November...................
(http://i1101.photobucket.com/albums/g430/longk48/DSC_1821.jpg)
In the cool greenhouse one of the Clerodendrum ugandense juveniles in bloom......................
(http://i1101.photobucket.com/albums/g430/longk48/DSC_1819a.jpg)
Solanum rantonettii taken about a week ago. Wilts after a cold night, but it soon picks up....................
(http://i1101.photobucket.com/albums/g430/longk48/DSC_1770.jpg)