Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
General Subjects => Flowers and Foliage Now => Topic started by: fermi de Sousa on September 01, 2014, 02:59:04 AM
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Officially the first day of spring, so it's back to winter after a week of sunshine ::)
First flower open on Gladiolus gracilis, grown from seed from Gordon Summerfield, sown June 2010.
A Narcissus triandrus hybrid (with N. jonquilla?) received from Jon B (Mini Bulb Lover),
cheers
fermi
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Spiloxene capensis - a retirement plant. Opens late morning, closes early afternoon - only on sunny days.
While hard to tell from the photo, the petals are pale pink.
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That's quite lovely, Jon.
We had a frost this morning and this delicate little grape-hyacinth came through it unscathed!
Muscari ex "Gul (Delight)' grown from AGS Seedex seed 2008, also with a touch of pink!
cheers
fermi
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It's a pretty Muscari Fermi. I was able to buy one locally last year (no, must have been the year before, perhaps at NZAGS Study Weekend) and it was a delight indeed, last spring. I've just been able to replace M. pallens during yet another trip to Hokonui Alpines. I couldn't find the darned thing prior to moving. Roger took a "look see" trip up there a couple of weeks ago and says there is nothing left. No garden at all! When I think of what was left in the ground and is no more.......well, better not to think of it.
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On this coming Saturday I'm taking some plants to the little monthly market at Milton, just 8 kms down the road. It's from 10am to 2pm which nicely stuffs up both one's morning and afternoon.
Mostly I'm taking Barnhaven primroses and polys, and a selection of miniature Narcissus, most in flower but some still in bud, even if we get a couple of really warm days, which we're not. It's sunny today but with a very cold wind. Never mind. Photographs and flowers from my own pots will help. I'll take the pot of 'Gambas' x cyclamineus as I have quite a few to sell. This pot has been in bloom for well over a month. The first flower opened on July 24th! Some others like bulb. obesus are in bud but just showing through, triandrus is well on but not coloured yet while a few, like 'Jumblie' are about finished.
I really like the yellow Cowichans, not "just another yellow polyanthus" as someone said to me, before they'd opened, but with nicely rounded flowers of deep gold (one has flowered a good orange) with deep red foliage and calyces. In the garden they look really great in a small group. The 'Chartreuse' polys are palest green as they open from bud but almost immediately age to a translucent white. Doesn't sound much but they are really nice, again in a group while 'Osiered Amber' primroses were, as I first thought, just another yellow primrose but they are now a soft apricot shade and again, with the dark red calyces and leaves, quite distinct when beside "ordinary" primroses, lovely in a group.
'Spiced Shades' polys are just that, nice browns, tans, coffee colours while the 'Gilded Ginger' polys
are red, gold laced with some gold dotting in the red and the red areas fusing into gold or orange, each one different from the others. I've found it hard to decide which to keep and which to take to the market.
Blue Julianas are super little rich blue cushions and what were supposed to be 'Fireflies,' red juliana cushions have all turned out to be deep red, almost black Cowichans. I'm happy with them but still would like the 'Fireflies' so will try for another lot this late spring when the Barnhaven seedlist is sent, as well as a selection of new forms, maybe the Victorians and grey/blues etc.
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In the picture above, of the blue Julianas, there are two pots of a rather curious polyanthus which was here in the garden when we arrived. It is literally a mouse-like grey shade and remains that way through its life. It flowered in the autumn too, also grey which is interesting as those odd shades and blues often flower out of season as something pinker. I like this one very much and it has the added attraction of being intensely fragrant.
Then in the second tray picture lower left, there are three plants which are seedlings, single but wavy petalled, from a double nectarine coloured primrose. I grew the seed hoping for some doubles. None is double but these 3 are soft yellow shaded and edged with a peach shade and again, very scented. I'm almost hoping they don't sell in which case I'll plant them out. They are very pretty. I usually take 8 to 10 trays to this little market, each with up to 20 plants depending with their size.
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Very nice, Lesley,
I'm afraid primulas are simply annuals here :'( but that doesn't stop me buying a few "P.acaulis hybrids" most years.
Muscari pallens hasn't even stuck its nose out here yet.
Here's a better pic of Gladiolus gracilis and the first floret open on Gladiolus tristis,
cheers
fermi
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Disturbing news from Tasmania :
"Tasmania's government has repealed the state's forestry "peace deal", removing around 400,000 hectares of forests from reserves across the state and potentially leaving them open to future logging."
Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2014-09-tasmania-scraps-peace-nativeforests.html#jCp (http://phys.org/news/2014-09-tasmania-scraps-peace-nativeforests.html#jCp)
http://phys.org/news/2014-09-tasmania-scraps-peace-nativeforests.html (http://phys.org/news/2014-09-tasmania-scraps-peace-nativeforests.html)
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Our current federal government is #*@$*%($ @*#(%)$)# @($)*%^^ *&^%#@#! !(*^#$^%@#*()&$@!)#&$^&****!!!
>:(
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Janus,
Amen to that, brother. And not just on forests!
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On a more pleasant note, this little wallflower has opened its first blooms.
Erysimum amoenum from Rocky Mountain Rare Plants 2010 - sown in 2012 and planted out in April this year,
cheers
fermi
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Our current federal government is #*@$*%($ @*#(%)$)# @($)*%^^ *&^%#@#! !(*^#$^%@#*()&$@!)#&$^&****!!!
>:(
Oh, you have one of those too?
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Somebody will no doubt get a sizable backhander.
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Lesley - some beautiful primroses there. I'm sure they'll sell like hot cakes.
The Tasmanian government are trying to save jobs. Obviously too hard to set up other industries (that aren't dying out like the timber industry)...
Hepatica nobilis.
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It was the FCHS Spring Show this weekend but Will and I only got there today but brought along a couple of Kiwis ;D
-plates decorated by school kids
-Floral art
-Rock Garden section
- RG posies
- dwarf daff posy
cheers
fermi
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More from FCHS:
Dishes of Hellebores
Otto won a blue ribbon for his trough of saxifrage
cheers
fermi
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Camellia bench
Rex's Blue Ribbon Cyclamen rohlfsianum foliage
Rex's posy
Maisie's posy
Otto's posy
more to come (and check out some on the South African Thread)
cheers
fermi
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Don't worry, Maggi, I haven't forgotten you!
I've posted the Rhodo pics on the appropriate thread! ;D
Maisie's Trillium rivale
Hélène's Dracophyllum secundum x 2
Otto's Crocus....
Ficaria verna 'Brazen Hussey'
cheers
fermi
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Andrew's Cyclamen pseudibericum
Cyclamen persicum
Inge's Primula bhutanica hybrid
Otto's primula vulgaris 'Striped Victorian'
Narcissus 'Beryl'
cheers
fermi
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Some very impressive exhibits there from the Southern Folks 8)
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Yes, it's been a good season so far!
Here are some more:
Hippeastrum x 2
Daffodils
Div 5s
Sue Thompson's Blue Ribbon,
cheers
fermi
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Thanks for posting those fermi, you made me consider going to the royal Adelaide show for the horticultural pavilion, but alas it's an absolute madhouse, $23 admission and I have zero interest in side show alley. Maybe I'll brave it next year.
I love Otto's trough of saxifrage. I'm inspired to make my own.
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I have a sad feeling of déjà vu after Maggi's comment above - I've just mentioned the fight for the Franklin River back in the 1980's in my AGS Diary, and it's hard to believe such a similar situation is arising again. There is something about a landscape like this picture by Peter Dombrovskis in 'Wild Rivers'. The economic benefit of the Tasmanian Wilderness in terms of tourism and recreation must be huge - it is a completely unique environment. Presumably it is also possible to have long term planning for sustainable timber planting and felling, or is there a big demand for natural stands of climax forest?
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Beautiful photo Tim. I bet you are pleased you took them. Such enduring memories.
It's probably not a good idea to get into the politics of this here. Jon has provided a glimps into the other side of the debate. Suffice to say is a highly complex situation made more so by the usual political machinations and domination of the Forest Agreement process by too few vested interests. The result: a backlash from the conservative side of politics who declare things things went too far and claim a mandate to pull it back. The problems in forestry have their origins further back in time when Gunns were handed a virtual monopoly and it was profitable to clear fell and flog the whole forest as woodchips. Bad practice set in and a weak bureaucracy, who were dependent on royalties, stood by meekly. Even in the face of falling world demand for woodchips and the looming need to meet world forest certification standards they did nothing!
Anyway hope this might provide some context.
Cheers, Marcus
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Fermi, make sure that Kiwi gets home in good condition. ;D
Here is a saxifraga, new to me, that Otto may like to add to his trough sometime. I'm putting up two images, the same photo, because the first shows the true colour of the foliage, grey/green rosettes while the second, adjusted slightly shows the ABSOLUTELY TRUE colour of the flower, its very first.
The picture was taken yesterday. Today it is the same but speckled heavily with yellow pollen from the local pine trees as is everything else. Strong wind last night.
The third picture is of an NZ raised form of Iris unguicularis, called 'Purple Trinity.' This one was given to me last year by sometime Forumist Bill Dijk. He has my warmest thanks. :)
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PS Sorry Tim I see now that this is a Dombroskis picture. What a genius that guy was. Alas died too young. Have you been down the Franklin?
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Same response as Marcus,
This business is less a considered economic response and more a political one - shoring up votes by being 'tough'. It has to be read alongside the state government's new anti-protest laws (http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-06-27/anti-protest-laws-pass-tasmania27s-lower-house/5554064 (http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-06-27/anti-protest-laws-pass-tasmania27s-lower-house/5554064)). Remember the absolutely farcical attempt to delist the recently approved World Heritage forest here - rejected in just 10 minutes at Doha. Unless one believes that the Coalition government is completely incompetent (tempting), it seems likely that this attempt was for purely domestic political reasons. So it is for the state government; re-opening this argument appeals to all those who believe that 'Greens are Liars' as I saw on a neighbour's bumper sticker. Economically it's a non-starter, since anything harvested will have to be sold overseas and will run into the same reluctance (one assumes) that brought the timber industry to the negotiating table in the first place.
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We had a lovely weekend here and even found time to take some photographs.
Frit. acmopetala
(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3903/15172852275_dc99ae3bca.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/p7LQni)
Tropaeolum tricolor in full swing now
(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3904/15172851025_c3ae98e846.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/p7LPZK)
My first ever Pleione, this one called "Hekla" (thank you Otto).
(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3841/15161974081_1be54aea65.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/p6P5Ee)
Common old Ranunculus (cv. asiatica? asiaticus), Rebecca grows them for cutting.
(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3857/15162820992_6bf9685bc8.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/p6Tqq9)
Trop. pentaphyllum just getting started
(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5584/15160222781_725e01ca71.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/p6E74p)
Frit. graeca f. graeca
(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3885/14976549360_638d9374e7.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/oPqJmh)
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Absolutely stunning pics Jamus! I wish I could use your Fritillaria acmopetala in my catalogue ;D I'm sure I could sell a swag of bulbs on the basis of that photo alone.
Very well put Rob. I couldn't agree more with your analysis. We need a certification program big time then maybe we can have a sensible debate about what to do with these ancient forests. I am personally not opposed to selected logging or specialty timber harvesting and maybe even some redrawing of the boundaries (I know that will sound like revisionist blasphemy). But I don't know enough. And I won't know enough until this blustering government is prepared to listen and consult and not continue to play the strong man.
Anyway as Rob and I are Taswegians we could probably carry on this discussion "until the cows come home" but for the sake of the true nature of the thread I will leave it at that.
Cheers, Marcus
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Fermi, make sure that Kiwi gets home in good condition. ;D
Here is a saxifraga, new to me, that Otto may like to add to his trough sometime.
Hi Lesley,
she's in fine condition and sorry she couldn't meet you for lunch on Saturday!
Here you can see she was getting her just desserts or was she just getting desserts?
Here's a pic of another of Otto's saxy troughs; your one would fit in nicely here ;D
cheers
fermi
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If it were not for the hat and the sunny smile, I'd have said that was me, lined up there with 3 deserts at once. She looks happy though. ;D
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Which deserts would they be Lesley? Gobi, Sahara and Kalahari? ;D
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Here is a Lachenalia I grew from seed. I'm underwhelmed with this one. :( Scilla vicentina just beginning to open.
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Perhaps the Shoe Pixie should be renamed the Pudding Pixie ? Beyond me how a Pixie can remain pixie sized alongside a love of puddings - must be pixie magic. ;) 8)
[attachimg=1]
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In Otto's alpine house:
Ophrys tenthredisifera
Dionysia...
In his garden:
a view of some of the bulb beds
a close up of the clump of Fritillaria thunbergia in the pic above,
Anemone blanda
cheers
fermi
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Also in Otto's garden:
Ornithogalum bungei x2
Some of the Narcissus cyclamineus self-seeding in Otto's garden :o
cheers
fermi
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Some of the Narcissus cyclamineus self-seeding in Otto's garden :ocheers fermi
White ones? :o :o :o
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Which deserts would they be Lesley? Gobi, Sahara and Kalahari? ;D
Probably a bit dry for my tastes actually Anthony. Though maybe with cream? ;D
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I suspect the obviously white seedlings are hybrids with something white or bicoloured. We do have quite a few of these in various gardens in NZ too and they're all lovely, differing in form somewhat. I seem to remember that Mini-daff (Graham) has shown us what seem to be pure cyclamineus but white. Maybe he would comment? Here is one that came from the late Alistair Blee's garden in Southland, and to me from Hokonui Alpines. It starts quite yellow, though pale, then whitens as it ages. I have seedlings from it too but not flowered yet.
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Lovely Lesley. As I look at the photo at Otto's again I was sure there was a white one in the left fore corner with what appears to be N. cyclamineus itself. Now I wonder if it might not be something white on that rock.
I'm headed off to the Narcissus thread!
johnw
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Well there are a lot of birds in Otto's garden. ;D
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Here's something to terrify iris lovers! I just had an email from Russia, a name I don't know, and I'm usually wary of opening such emails but then I noticed the word iris in the heading so risked it. It's the results of a study by various people, and says, in its conclusion "The present study clearly justifies the splitting of Iris s.l. into at least 23 genera....."
If anyone would like a copy I could forward the email.
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Just when you thought it was safe to go outside .... its back! The Revenge of the Splitters!
I think Mini daff has a lovely creamy white going to white cyclamineus registered as "Second Fiddle". I know I sold it long before I knew who and what Keira was!
Cheers, Marcus
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My Scilla may be Fessia greilhuberi? Here is Moraea setifolia with a flower not much bigger than my thumb nail (seed sown July 2011) and a tall dwarf Watsonia.
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Marcus, does Frit. sibthorpiana vary much in colour? I've had a couple of different seed clones bright yellow but one from you, flowering for the first time, (a bulb, not seedling) is a browny/greeny combo. I'll take its picture shortly. The leaves look about right.
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Hi Lesley,
Typically the subspecies enginiana has limey yellow flowers, not buttery yellow like the type. It usually has more leaves than the usual two. I looked on the Fritllaria Group's website to confirm my observations but I honestly can't spot the difference between their examples.
Cheers, Marcus
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Hi Marcus and Lesley , went into the garden to see if Frit sib. ssp. eugeniana was in flower , yes it is so I'm able to show it . Marcus you gave it to me 5 years ago - it has not produced seed or has multiplied . and has only 2 leaves .
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Hi Otto,
Then I have to conclude I know nothing! ;D
Cheers, Marcus
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Begonia "caravan"is quite a spectacular foliage plant and in a forgotten corner is Begonia Listada, Begonia Angularis v compacta and Eucharis x Grandiflora.
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Some Aussie flowers in the Rock Garden:
Olearia pimeleoides
Prostanthera calycina - apparently listed as threatened in South Australia
close-up of P. calycina
Phebalium sp. and close-up
cheers
fermi
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Some Aussie flowers in the Rock Garden:
Olearia pimeleoides
Prostanthera calycina - apparently listed as threatened in South Australia
close-up of P. calycina
Phebalium sp. and close-up
cheers
fermi
Fermi,
I like the Aussie wild flowers, especially the Olearis (I always like daisies) and Phebalium. Annual or perennial? Xeric?
Cheers
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Fermi I'm interested in Australian plants for rock gardens and I'm planning to do some scouting next time I'm on Kangaroo Island (my Dad lives there).
This little poppy is Glaucium grandiflorum, it's a weed of crops in South Australia and I collected seed while on a field trip for work.
(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5572/15037156798_f3a407232d.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/oUMmQ7)
Have a look at this little prunus, Prunus 'Elvins' flowering it's head off at the moment.
(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3872/15224156815_936e689e9d.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/pciMqk)
(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5595/15225784721_be26f89aa1.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/pcs8kF)
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Fermi,
I like the Aussie wild flowers, especially the Olearis (I always like daisies) and Phebalium. Annual or perennial? Xeric?
Hi Robert,
these are all low growing shrubs that survive in this area with very little summer water.
These bulbs came from your neck of the woods - Dichelostemma capitatum grown from NARGS 2007 - there seems to be two forms - one has purplish stems and bracts while the other is plain green,
cheers
fermi
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Hi Robert,
these are all low growing shrubs that survive in this area with very little summer water.
These bulbs came from your neck of the woods - Dichelostemma capitatum grown from NARGS 2007 - there seems to be two forms - one has purplish stems and bracts while the other is plain green,
cheers
fermi
Fermi,
Dichelostemma capitatum grows at the farm here and is quite common in our area. It is one of the primary food sources for the native rodents and thus propagates profusely both by divisions and seed. - Beware it is known to be weedy! However, it should be safe in a container and with dead-headed. Also, where the rodent have not found them, they make large showy patches.
Having said that, I do grow the polyploid form which is much larger in all parts, as expected. Also, odd forms show up from time-to-time. There is a white form (not common). I found one, here on the farm, that could have been a chimara with both pink and bluish-purple in the petals. The next day I went back to dig it up and the deer had eaten the top off! Couldn't find it - I hoped that it would come back to bloom next season. I've never seen it again. Oh well. :P
There are several Dichelostemma species that grow in our area. Looking at some of your photographs I have to admit that they do not look quite right as D. capitatum. This does not mean anything, except that they don't look right to me. However, here are a few things the keep in mind: 1.) D. capitatum is among the first bulbs to bloom in our area - the other species bloom much later. 2.) D. capitatum has a purplish bract that holds all the flowers - I did not notice this. If it is there, you will notice it! 3.) Plant species can and do grow differently with different climatic conditions.
Forktoothed Ookow, D. congestum has 3 distinctly forked staminodes.
D. multiflorum is noticably constricted between the ovary and the rest of the flower.
Anyway, I've been "long-winded" enough! Thanks for sharing the photographs both of your native plants and one of ours.
I did do some research on Olearis, Phebalium - your feedback is most helpful too!
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Hi Robert,
I appreciate your comments and I'll post more pics of "your" wildflowers as they bloom ;D
Here's another Aussie that I grow in the Rock Garden, Dampiera dasyantha;
Paeonia kesrouanensis has been grown in some Aussie gardens for many years as P. mascula russii but Marcus Harvey has recently confirmed its correct ID. I got this one as a young seedling from Wilma Yee who got hers as a seedling from Otto!
cheers
fermi
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Spring is going crazy here at the moment as well, however my garden is an absolute mess due to neglect. Still some lovely bits and pieces about though, just not particularly photo worthy. Great to see everyone else is having a good spring too.
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Drat, I tried to press the like button Paul. ;D
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rotfl, Anthony. Sorry, should I got back to facebook now then?
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rotfl, Anthony. Sorry, should I got back to facebook now then?
Well , we really appreciate hearing from you here, Paul - and seeing Graham's lovely photo of you in the narcissus thread so we can see that you are in good form!
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Far from good form, Maggi. Very, very, VERY far from it. :-[
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Great to hear from you Paul.
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Thanks David. 8)
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Perhaps the Shoe Pixie should be renamed the Pudding Pixie ? Beyond me how a Pixie can remain pixie sized alongside a love of puddings - must be pixie magic.
Maggi. Maggi, Maggi - I didn't eat ALL those puddings. In fact I was just there to give them some scale. It was a lovely day and a wonderful meal, and I actually had to be forced to eat one of those. It was delicious, but one belonged to my daughter and the other to Fermi..........
Shoe Pixie forever.
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I'll believe you, Susan - the presence of fermi any where near a pudding give your words a ring of truth!
Paul, you look very well, that's a good start, I reckon :-* :-*
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I'll believe you, Susan - the presence of fermi any where near a pudding give your words a ring of truth!
Lies! I didn't have any of those puddings! None of them was chocolate! ::)
But this one was ;D
[attach=1]
and it was delicious!
cheers
fermi
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Maggi, I was referring to my looks being far from good form, not my mental state ..... which we all know has been dodgy for as long as I have ever been on these forums, as evidenced by my sense of humour! :P
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Maggi, I was referring to my looks being far from good form, not my mental state ..... which we all know has been dodgy for as long as I have ever been on these forums, as evidenced by my sense of humour! :P
I was speaking about your dodgy t-shirt..........
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The only orchid I seem to be able to grow and flower is Serapias lingua,
cheers
fermi
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Talking about dodgy - look what I found at the Ferny Creek Show. I had not realised what huge distances one has to travel in Melbourne. Fermi and Will very kindly picked up my daughter, Helen and myself and took us to the Show. Then we went for a lovely lunch and on to Otto's wonderful garden. What a treat.
The following Sunday we hired a car and visited Fermi and Will's wonderful garden, and once again were treated to a great lunch. (You may see a theme beginning to emerge here - in 8 days, Helen and I managed to get to - 17 restaurants and bars)
It was so exciting to see different things flowering in their gardens. As another treat, on Fermi's advice, we also visited the Melbourne Botanic Gardens garden at Cranbourne - what a fantastic place, and for anyone visiting Melbourne it is a must see, although difficult to get to without a car.
Susan
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My first post on the forum, all I have been game to do is the Archibald post, tried to post pictures last night it was a wonder I did not bring down the whole system. Lovely to see you Susan, I'm sorry I missed you when you were in Australia may be next time or when we go to NZ next.
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Hi Viv, sorry to have missed you. Will let you know in advance next time I visit my daughter.
I have some Trillium rivale seedlings that I inherited from Stewart Preston, that have lovely dark leaves. He told me they were from you. The first flowers are about to come out. Shall keep you posted.
Susan.
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I should have said I posted my first post by myself, with out help from someone else.
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Things getting in my way recently so haven't even looked at the Forum for a few days. Going back to the Frit I have from Marcus as sibthorpiana, this is it. NOT sibthorpiana but what? About 10 cms in height. I suppose my thumb gives some scale. A bit battered and bruised, having shut it in the car door a week or so ago. :'( (and swear)
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A warm ,sunny spring day today , perfect to photograph some bulbs in my garden ,I wished the quality of my photos was as perfect as the weather .anyway here they come .
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and a few more ,including our native Epacris reclinata .
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I should have said I posted my first post by myself, with out help from someone else.
And very well you did, too!
I do like Cyp. goeringii - such a pretty thiing.
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Thanks Otto for the post. You don't know how many times I've wished I could wander around your garden in person... you, me, and my camera of course! Perhaps one spring in the not too distant future as we've often talked about a garden/nursery tour of Victoria for a family holiday. :)
I got home from work early today, grabbed my camera and took advantage of the lovely sunshine washing over the garden.
Epimedium 'hotlips' (thanks Otto, I love it)
(https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5582/15132675059_1057f8e3b6.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/p4dV5F)
Sempervivum arachnoideum
(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3856/15132834678_63b8124e77.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/p4eJwJ)
Phlox subulata f. tamanonagalei tamaongalei
(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3885/15132597880_2dc6065e27.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/p4dw91)
Pelargonium x ardens
(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3886/15132553679_e53a0c875c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/p4dhZV)
Isoplexis canariensis
(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3868/15318968532_f2519e25b2.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/pkFHD7)
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Otto, what a super plant your Epacris reclinata is.
Jamus, your photos are a delight - love the Phlox subulata f. tamanonagalei which I don'tthink I've seen before.
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Maggi we have some Epacris species in the bush over here too and it's always been a favourite of mine. I just love to colour! I need to find time to do some bush walks this spring and take photographs for Northern Hemisphere members who might be interested. There's a national park not too far from us here called Cox's scrub, a pretty uninspiring name for a stunningly bio-diverse spot.
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I picked the little phlox up from a nursery here run by Ian Powell, who is a proper plantsman and former curator of the Mount Lofty Botanic Gardens, my favourite place ever.
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Maggi we have some Epacris species in the bush over here too and it's always been a favourite of mine. I just love to colour! I need to find time to do some bush walks this spring and take photographs for Northern Hemisphere members who might be interested.
Yes please Jamus.
Epacris are wonderful plants, as Otto's photo shows, but unfortunately with me they survive rather than thrive so I'd love to understand their needs better.
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Interesting to hear your experiences with Epacris in Cork, Ashley. There used to be a couple of plants I saw in the area here, along with some South African "heathers" but the last cold winter (was that 2010-2011?) killed them off. I've never had any to try in this garden - tho' I expect they'd not care for it. :(
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I picked the little phlox up from a nursery here run by Ian Powell, who is a proper plantsman and former curator of the Mount Lofty Botanic Gardens, my favourite place ever.
Phlox subulata 'Tamaongalei' was a selection from the Gillanders at Woodbank Nursery in Tasmania.
Sadly it seems to be known as 'Candystripe' in the US :-X
cheers
fermi
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Ah, a Gillanders selection - that would explain a good deal - those folks know good plants when they see them!
I'm surprised at the comment that the same selection is known as 'Candystripe' in the US - the plants I have seen if that name are not nearly so pretty as Phlox subulata 'Tamaongalei' - which is a little corker.
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Interesting to hear your experiences with Epacris in Cork, Ashley. There used to be a couple of plants I saw in the area here, along with some South African "heathers" but the last cold winter (was that 2010-2011?) killed them off. I've never had any to try in this garden - tho' I expect they'd not care for it. :(
Mine were planted after those harsh winters Maggi and given sharp drainage.
Since then they've come through a few degrees of frost but grown a bit leggy (pruning needed) and never flowered. The conditions must not be to their liking.
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Ah, a Gillanders selection - that would explain a good deal - those folks know good plants when they see them!
I'm surprised at the comment that the same selection is known as 'Candystripe' in the US - the plants I have seen if that name are not nearly so pretty as Phlox subulata 'Tamaongalei' - which is a little corker.
I agree with Maggi!
I have "Candystripe" here in the garden. 'Tamaongalei' caught my attention too! Such a beautiful little plant. I wish my 'Candystripe' did look like 'Tamaongalei'. It looks kind'a the same.
Maggi we have some Epacris species in the bush over here too and it's always been a favourite of mine. I just love to colour! I need to find time to do some bush walks this spring and take photographs for Northern Hemisphere members who might be interested. There's a national park not too far from us here called Cox's scrub, a pretty uninspiring name for a stunningly bio-diverse spot.
Jamus,
I would love to see photos of your native plants. I hope that you can find the time to do so, however I do understand how it can be easier said than done. We have many other responsibilities.
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Fermi thanks for the history and the correction to the name. I hate how sloppy nurseries are with names and they're always corrupting them.
Robert I'll do my best to do some walks. It's a fantastic spring here and I expect the wildflower display will be exceptional. Any particular family or genus of interest I can seek out for you?
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Fermi thanks for the history and the correction to the name. I hate how sloppy nurseries are with names and they're always corrupting them.
Robert I'll do my best to do some walks. It's a fantastic spring here and I expect the wildflower display will be exceptional. Any particular family or genus of interest I can seek out for you?
Jamus,
Any particular family or genus? First, thank you for asking! I enjoy bulbs and wild, not commonly used annuals and smaller perennials (i.e. generally under 1 meter), however, in general, I'm sure that a look at the landscape and your native plants would be interesting both to me and others. I'm very curious and I hope to see some photos of springtime in your area and your thoughts on how it all plays out.
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I picked this info up from a 'tweet' by Brett Summerell :
"It's waratah time at the gardens at Mt Tomah - the waratah festival is on this weekend and till Sunday September 28"
The Blue Mountains Botanic Garden, MountTomah
Photos from Brett's Twitter page
[attachimg=1]
[attachimg=2]
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http://www.mounttomahbotanicgarden.com.au/ (http://www.mounttomahbotanicgarden.com.au/)
Bells Line of Road via Bilpin New South Wales 2758, Australia
Phone: (02) 4567 3000
I know we are fortunate to have several forumists/members connected with this super Botanic Garden. :)
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Oh just look at those gaudy Eastern states natives! How flamboyant they are, not like our refined, elegant Southern natives... :P Only kidding of course, they are wonderful plants, but nothing quite so showy in these parts.
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Trillium rivale and some of it's beautiful forms. I have a very dark leaf form of Trillium rivale that just appeared in my garden which I thought had come from a friend that had passed away, but the other gardeners that her plants were divided between did not have it so I think it may have been bred from Archibald's seed and my own seed, just a chance seedling. Some one has put a name on it calling it Trillium rivale 'Purple Haze' this is not a legal name.
I'm not sure how names are put on plants I thought they had to be registered, but anyway it has lovely deep dark pink flowers deeply maroon almost black markings on the foliage, not always true from seed sometimes you may only get a few markings on leaves other times they are all marked.
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Hi Vivienne, very nice plants! Trillium rivales is a new arrival in my garden and I don't really know how it's going to react to the summer extremes. You have some gorgeous variation there...
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Trillium rivale dark leaf form
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Thank you Jamus, I'm afraid my photos are not up to your standard, I don't think that Trillium rivale minds the heat as long as they have shade in the summer, and a good covering of leaf mulch, that seems to do wonders for all the Trilliums.
Viv
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Hi Vivienne, very nice plants! Trillium rivales is a new arrival in my garden and I don't really know how it's going to react to the summer extremes. You have some gorgeous variation there...
Jamus,
Trillium rivale grows in our garden. They are doing well with filtered light, excellent soil drainage (grit and sand, with some soil humus), and some moisture during the summer when they are dormant.
Good Luck with them! They are very nice!
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Leaf mulch is never in short supply here, the grevillea robusta drops them in buckets and when partially decomposed they make a nice mulch. Vivienne, I'm looking forward to seeing what else you grow there.
Thanks Robert, that gives me hope I might succeed with it. My woodland garden is under the shade of a big spreading Acer negundo, I'm sure you're very familiar with these?
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Leaf mulch is never in short supply here, the grevillea robusta drops them in buckets and when partially decomposed they make a nice mulch. Vivienne, I'm looking forward to seeing what else you grow there.
Thanks Robert, that gives me hope I might succeed with it. My woodland garden is under the shade of a big spreading Acer negundo, I'm sure you're very familiar with these?
Jamus,
Yes, I'm very familiar with Acer negundo, one of our natives.
Around here a "weed tree"! :P For us the roots are terrible and very difficult to garden under. Maybe it is our terrible soil? The roots have nowhere to go. :P :P I certainly hope that it works out much better for you in your gardening environment! :)
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Every now and again garden centres here push plants of Acer negundo 'Flamingo' - a truly hideous thing which, if you are very lucky, will look good for about three days a year. The "draw" for this tree is the multi-coloured foliage- pink, green, white and cream - but thisis ob nly attractive for the first few days of the leaves unfurling- if that! After that either the frost will kill them or aphids will ruin them. Either way the foliage gets into a mangled twisted mess and looks terrible.
I hate this cultivar - can you tell? ::)
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Haha Maggi, your vitriol is palpable! I can definitely relate! I have my own pet hates, Robinia pseudoacacia is a horrific nightmare tree which nurseries continue to sell and people continue to buy and plant!!! :o :o :o. I'm still battling suckers of this and I removed the tree three years ago, digging out the root ball by hand. Poured neat glyphosate into the stump and followed up with tree and blackberry killer. It laughed at me. :-[ It's a horror story seriously...
Here in Adelaide Acer negundo does very well and has no blights affecting it really. It can be weedy but we are lucky enough to have a male. He is beautiful when in flower which has just happened, now we're cleaning up all the anthers raining down on the garden for a couple of weeks. I don't notice any problem with root competition at all. I think that's because we have clay soil and live close to a natural watercourse, so there is always water at depth here. It's a godsend for the summer shade it offers and I've come to appreciate box elder for it's toughness and tenaciousness. There's a new cultivar turned up recently called "sensation" which has darker green leaves and red/orange autumn colour. It's a god tree for Adelaide gardens, I think. Maggi I also hate the variegated, weakling you're talking about. It looks sick to me, like it's got a virus.
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I might be prepared to think reasonably kindly about the species, Jamus - though I can think of other trees I'd rather have - but I do indeed hate 'Flamingo' with a passion >:(
There must be somewhere where it thrives and looks good - but that is not in here Scotland!
I suppose we might all have some poor plant that drives us completely up the wall - can't love 'em all the same, eh?
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Oh no Maggi, you ought to hate it in the context of Scottish conditions. It's the wrong tree for where you are, clearly... I confess I scoff when people plant Japanese maples in their front lawns in the suburbs. Bloody waste of money and a failing on the part of the nursery industry to properly advise their customers. Our summer sun fries Japanese maples to a crisp and the drought will kill them unless you pour the water onto them all summer long.
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The nurseries have been offering 'Flamingo' around here for years as some sort of exotic, rare plant, at high prices. They are generally trucked in from western Oregon and start going down hill the minute they are off-loaded from the truck. It is so sad that the nurseries can do nothing more than hoodwink the public with such terrible offerings as Black Locust (yes, here too), silver maple, Lombardy popular (they are better in a Monet painting), Mulberry, Wax Privet (the birds will plant them for you around here) and other weedy trees and shrubs. I'm sure this is part of the reason that most of the nurseries have gone out of business in our area. Now we have the mass merchandisers selling the same and worse.
One more story:
For years I have always brought a few plants to the farmers' market to sell after all the produce is sold out. I rarely sell anything but I enjoy playing with the plants, arranging them in ways that look good. I get lots of comments along these lines: "Oh, this looks so nice." "What are they?" "I've never heard of any of this stuff!"
Well last week as I was resting in my chair (I get up at 4:00 a.m.) waiting for the end of market. "Sir, I would like to buy a few plants, I never expected to see Cypella coelestis or C. peruviana offered anywhere, especially the farmers' market! I'm glad that you are here. You have should interesting plants. I'll take these."
I needed the smelling salts, as I felt I was going to pass-out! It must have been a "Blue Moon!"
I've been long winded enough!
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Haha Robert, we are out there us wacky plant collectors, few and far between but that could have been me wandering around a country market here. Occasionally someone turns up with interesting plants and often it can lead to friendships; for instance I met my friend Mick Brew at just such a stall at a market selling rare and interesting plants. I bought my Humulus lupulus aureus from him that day and the next time our paths crossed I exchanged details with him. Now we swap plants regularly and what's more he is a self employed gardener working at some absolutely fabulous private gardens on wealthy estates in the Adelaide hills. I've been treated to some tours of such gardens by him and a few cuttings and divisions always come from such visits as well. In short I look out for people like you in my travels...
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I agree with Maggi!
I have "Candystripe" here in the garden. 'Tamaongalei' caught my attention too! Such a beautiful little plant. I wish my 'Candystripe' did look like 'Tamaongalei'. It looks kind'a the same.
Jamus,
I would love to see photos of your native plants. I hope that you can find the time to do so, however I do understand how it can be easier said than done. We have many other responsibilities.
A local nursery calls it 'Tammy,' so that we don't have to make an effort to learn the correct name. No wonder NZers are rotten linguists!
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Robert, I'm surprised you don't sell very much at the Farmers' Market. Here, such markets are favourite places for something different, and at the local Otago Farmers' Market stalls, there are about 6 plants stalls among the fruit, veg, meat etc, and are very popular now. It was as a stall holder with alpines that I first started there in 2003 and then went on to be Manager when, one winter (it's hard to sell plants that are totally underground), the Manager's job became available and I decided to go for it. In theory, the plant stalls concentrate on edible plants but they all have a selection of different things and often something one has been looking for, for years.
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I have found that very few market stalls have very much for sale, but Leslie when I saw what you sell at your stalls I was shocked with Meconopsis punicea and Campanula Maie Blyth (which I still have) for sale I'm surprised your not rushed off your feet with sales.
Viv
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Some more Trilliums hope your not bored by all the Trilliums all are from seed
Viv
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Some more Trilliums hope your not bored by all the Trilliums all are from seed
Viv
No chance of that - lots of trillium fans here!
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Beautiful Vivienne and I'm both impressed and encouraged by the fact that you raised these from seed. You're on the same path as me but years ahead, I've been sowing many different trillium species this year and have yet to have a germination (I don't expect germinations until next spring in all probability, but anything is possible I suppose), which will only be the beginning of the long and rocky path to mature plants, 4 or 5 years from now or more.
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Thank you Maggi. Jamus if they set seed I will send you some it always depends on how hot summer is.
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Robert, I'm surprised you don't sell very much at the Farmers' Market. Here, such markets are favourite places for something different, and at the local Otago Farmers' Market stalls, there are about 6 plants stalls among the fruit, veg, meat etc, and are very popular now. It was as a stall holder with alpines that I first started there in 2003 and then went on to be Manager when, one winter (it's hard to sell plants that are totally underground), the Manager's job became available and I decided to go for it. In theory, the plant stalls concentrate on edible plants but they all have a selection of different things and often something one has been looking for, for years.
Lesley,
So sorry taking so long to reply. Your comment are important to me! My wife and I were out of town for the day.
The situation at our farmers' markets is complex. I'm one of the "old timers" have been at the market for decades. During the 1990's plants sold very well for me - 10 to 15 times what I sell now. Things changed after September 2001 and the U.S. involvement in the Middle East - plant sales slowed considerably. After the 2007 economic melt down, plants sales basically ended and I was glad to be a farmer selling produce - even though this is extremely hard work. I would like to semi-retire from farming (farmers never quit farming) and spend more time working with the ornamental plants and doing field work with our native plants. I've always been a wanderer, like John Muir, hiking in the mountains every chance I get.
Another consideration at farmers' market is the fact that, for me, it is all about the plants, being creative and innovative with them. Business and money-making is not part of the equation for me. I always get positive comments about how nice my display looks and how well the hand printed descriptions of the plants are. The display looks like a garden, I never put the same plants all together in rows. Also, I'm offering plants that folks have never seen before. There are plenty of other plant vendors at the market these days, all very nice people, however they are offering plants that the public are familiar with - Grafted Japanese Maples, Native Plants (the same ones that have been offered for the last 40 years), bedding annuals (more of the "same ol' same old"), Tropical Orchids, etc. Their plants are offered in neat rows, the same type of plants all together. I'm sure that they have excellent business practices. With a variety of plant vendor there is a variety a plants for folks to choose from - all very good in my mind.
I'm sure that there is more to this - but business really doesn't interest me. I bring the plants because of my passion for plants and the few "plant people" that show up "once in a blue moon".
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Viv , I'm indebted to you for enjoying this pot of your dark leaved , dark flowered Trillium rivale , raised from your seed ,sown 4 years ago . Every visitor would like a plant but there is not enough to share .
You have to be the only one here to grow the yellow form of T. chloropetalum - very attractive .
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Robert - what you say certainly rings bells here with those of us who grow and sell more unusual and home raised plants. (And that even though the UK must be, with Japan, the great home of gardeners). Occasionally one comes across those for whom plants carry a more considered and detailed interest. We have a garden with thousands of plants which we do open for charity and have had plenty of stimulating people visiting over the years, but we take plants to the local 'Best of Faversham' market down town and meet just a few - and of these virtually none walk the half-mile to our garden to see more. So nice to come across a Wayne Roderick or Ron Ratko or Sally Walker every now and again - what's so great about this Forum!
This is a picture from our front garden in the summer of 2013 - it doesn't always look as good as this, but these plants are great fun (as Frank Kingdon-Ward wrote in one of his books and quite a few gardeners do find out for themselves!) as well as teaching you a lot along the way.
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Otto thank you for your comments. Trillium rivale dark leaf is building up slowly. A few people have it now in New Zealand so it is slowly spreading,
See you at our Alpine meeting on Saturday night.
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My word, Tim - that Eryngium is SINGING - what a great colour. Which is it?
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I've got a couple of Eryngium "Blue Hobbit" from Joy Plants in the front garden. Hope they flower this year.
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I raised a lot of little Eryngium giganteum 'Miss Willmott's Ghost' from seed a couple of years ago but they didn't flower in the second season (last summer) like I thought they would. I hope they flower this season!
Vivienne, thank you for the offer of seed of your dark T. rivale. I'd love to try them. Fingers crossed they set seed.
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Maggi - it's straight Eryngium bourgatii captured at its high point of flower. The reason they are so good is that they have self-seeded into a narrow crevice between the grass and a tamacadam/gravelled drive, so they are growing in virtually nothing! They are joined at different times by Oenothera stricta and Papaver atlanticum which love the same harsh treatment, and less comfortably by dandelions and wild carrot which I am forever weeding out.
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Thank you Tim - I was sure it must be some fancy cultivar. Excellent plant - and clever too, to place itself somewhere that suits it so well!
Hope the Rainham Show goes well tomorrow, by the way.
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Robert - what you say certainly rings bells here with those of us who grow and sell more unusual and home raised plants. (And that even though the UK must be, with Japan, the great home of gardeners). Occasionally one comes across those for whom plants carry a more considered and detailed interest. We have a garden with thousands of plants which we do open for charity and have had plenty of stimulating people visiting over the years, but we take plants to the local 'Best of Faversham' market down town and meet just a few - and of these virtually none walk the half-mile to our garden to see more. So nice to come across a Wayne Roderick or Ron Ratko or Sally Walker every now and again - what's so great about this Forum!
Tim,
I especially appreciate your comments. 40 years ago I was very fortunate to be mentored by Marshall Olbrich and Lester Hawkins and their Western Hills Nursery in Occidental, California. I think that I lament the loss. If one goes to an internet search, one can see photographs of the ghost of what was once an outstanding nursery and garden. I have photographs of how it was! If anyone is interested I will post them.
Wayne was a personal friend. I also was friendly with Ed Carmen and his Carmen's Nursery in Los Gatos, California. I also have memories of Victor Reiter sinking in his chair at the California Horticultural Society Meetings in San Francisco as he talked about the fantastic plants he brought to the meetings.
For me, those were the "Golden Days" of horticulture in California. Now it seems as if there in nothing of that world left or maybe this is just my issue. Whatever it is, I do appreciate the like-minded folks in this forum.
Thank you again for sharing your experience and putting up with my public lament (everyone). You do have some sort of thread about your nursery on the forum, don't you? I'll have to spend more time looking around. Your garden does look great. I also appreciate Ian's (Bulb log) comments about "how a garden looks". California, and I bet all Mediterranean type climates, have that dead and brown look of various plants at certain seasons. I plant purposely for this look. We just had our first major fall rainfall. The dead tarweed smells great! and this is part of California. I look forward to this event every autumn and will continue to plant tarweed and leave their dead corpus in the garden until winter, along with other "dead plants" (to me they are not dead but very much alive!) The garden wouldn't be right without it. But, then again everybody has their likes and dislikes.
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Robert, how lovely to hear about your nursery people Garden and seasons. I never new who named my Geranium Victor Reiter or where the name came from, it is an exquisite form. The colour of the foliage is so good. Did Victor Reiter raise this plant or was it just named after him. So many times nothing is recorded about these plants people and information is lost.
Occasionally it is available here in Australia, we have a very good Nursery that our Australian Alpine group go to, they raise all manner of perennials and occasionally alpine plants . They have had to rebuild their houses, Nursery and stock plants after the King lake fires they lost everything, at the time it was devastating for them but they have gone from strength to strength. In my long winded way I am saying they occasionally have Geranium Victor Reiter for sale.
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I should have said that is why it is important to keep the Jim Archibald file going because if we don't all his collecting, plant growing will be lost
as well. Such a great man, I sure do miss his seed lists and opinions at the begging of his lists. I think I must have been one of his best customers, I have quite a few new plants to put on his file when I get a bit of time.
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Vivienne,
I do not know if Geranium 'Victor Reiter' is one of his many creations or just named after him. It is a good question that deserves an answer. I'm sure someone knows the answer.
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A few from this morning. Spring is really kicking in now.
(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3846/15371862041_724c0b2c57_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/pqmP3a)
(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3909/15375020685_432f69abf0_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/pqCZZx)
(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3880/15188340770_6140ea17b5_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/p99dyj)
(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3929/15188346110_10cc7fec73_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/p99f9o)
(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3927/15188347630_292f559380_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/p99fAA)
(https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2948/15371878161_04fb5a6c16_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/pqmTQ6)
(https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2942/15188301819_23e57cc73a_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/p991YK)
(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3888/15188471888_8434caa884_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/p99TwY)
(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3869/15188477108_c98888f64f_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/p99V5Y)
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Here today, gone tomorrow. Flowers of Moraea setifolia.
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I've had a disaster with my Moraea aristata which has been with me gradually building up for about 7 years. It was in the middle of blooming and just turned up its toes and looks like it's dying, or dead already. :'( I feel like I've lost an old friend... I don't know what happened. I need to scratch in the soil in the pot and see if it's too wet or too dry. I will replace it but this time it's going in the ground. Pots can be a trap sometimes...
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Jamus
I really enjoy the photographs from your garden. The garden must be really nice now!
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Thanks Robert, yes I'm very happy with how things are coming along. Then again this is that golden time of year when even weeds look fantastic... Only 3 years gardening and some areas only two and it's starting to feel settled... I promise to post some garden views soon. I'm always waiting for this or that to come into bloom or until I pull out that patch of weeds of whatever. You know how it is...
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The poppies have started! I've grown poppies every year since coming here and I love their generous, jagged, glaucous foliage as much as the flowers. Half the fun is waiting to see what colours and forms you'll get! I prefer singles over doubles and am always looking out for new colours and variations.
(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3868/15200191960_063bebe724_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/pabXvb)
(https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3887/15200282498_7e2cbac3d3_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/pacqqb)
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Jamus,
I'm impressed with your garden - after only 3 years! - and the range of plants used, some of which seem tender to the cold up at our farm.
I do have two questions. I'm still trying to get an idea of the climate in your neck of the world. In general, it seems very similar to our part of California - but more like our Central Valley - a long growing season (260 or more days) and no snow during the winter. Up at the farm there is always some snow during the winter months and the growing season is much shorter, about 180-190 days.
Do you get snow during the winter? How long is your growing season?
Thanks!
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No snow here Robert. It has happened but it's a one in ten year occurrence or more-or-less and even then it doesn't stay on the ground all day. Things start to move here in September, many temperate perennials just emerging now, for instance Polygonatum and it gets cold and dark enough to shut things down by May or June, so that's spot on your 260 days. The trouble here is always summer heat, temperatures get over 40 C for a week at a time in our heat waves, which we get two or three of in an average year these days. I do think it's hotter than it was, experts agree it's heating up here unfortunately. Summer is without a doubt the main challenge and shade and regular watering is essential to keeping things alive through January and February.
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I did a quick loop walk at Scott creek conservation park and took these pictures for you all. Wasn't the best location and I'll do another walk hopefully this weekend in a better spot.
https://plus.google.com/photos/118198884481946835903/albums/6064400260621157105
Sorry I haven't had time to put names on them.
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Some more Trilliums hope your not bored by all the Trilliums all are from seed
Viv
Oh yes Viv, trilliums are terribly boring ;D to the extent that at our Otago Alpine Garden Group show at the weekend, the salestable trilliums sold out just about before anything else even though they were ALL years away from flowering and offered (we sell separately on the same table, giving a commission to the Group) at outrageous prices! $10 for tiny one leaf T. rivale, and not even supposed to be pink or in any way distinguished. I was quite shocked. (Of course I was not offering trilliums myself and it was only after they had all gone that my own stuff got a look in, which it did, to a very nice degree, a little later. :) Unfortunately, though there were many good show and display plants to photograph, the light in the Dunedin Hort Soc's show venue is so bad that even flash was useless. We are looking for another venue for our own show, somewhere further away from the BLACK HOLE OF CALCUTTA!!!
My friend Susan pointed out to me the other day that T. rivale will NEVER flower on stems with two leaflets and ALWAYS flower on stems with three leaflets. I hadn't previously made the connection to identify flowering size plants. Wish it were the same for the larger species.
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Jupiter, what is the first plant in your batch of pictures. It looks a little like one of the dwarf woolly Stachys species? And which species are your gorgeous poppies. Are they P. orientale?
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Lesley the wooly plant in the pot is Origanum dictamnus, commonly called dittany of Crete.
Origanum dictamnus
Geranium incanum with Veronica umbrosa
Hyacinthoides hispanica
Tropaeolum pentaphyllum
Ferraria crispa
Geranium maderense
G. maderense again
Geranium incanum again because I love it
Artemisia ludoviciana 'Valerie Finnis'
Second group
Papaver somn-shhhh 'paeoniflorum'
As above.
I love these so much I don't like to mention the 'O' word. There's a fuzzy grey area regarding the legality of growing these so it's best to use the name P. paeoniflorum and avoid the attention.
My orientale aren't flowering yet and I'm starting to worry that they won't!
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I did a quick loop walk at Scott creek conservation park and took these pictures for you all.
Wonderful. What amazing orchids, particularly that green hooded one. Thanks Jamus.
Lovely poppies too. Here only Californian tree poppy Romneya coulteri is still flowering, courtesy of a warm September.
Some years ago I met a farmer in Tasmania growing P. somniferum under licence for the pharmaceutical industry.
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Jamus,
Thanks for the climate information. Now it is understandable the plants you and fermi, etc, are growing. Your climate is more like our Sacramento Valley here in California. Up at the farm it snows, sometimes 30 - 50 cm at a time that sticks around for weeks as the temperatures do not rise much above 2 - 4 c during the day. Hot summers too, but not too many 40+ c days.
Nice poppies! We grow P. somniferum too. Have you grown 'Laurens Grape' - what a beauty!
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Ooooo 'Laurens Grape' is a ripper I agree! I do get some just that colour in my mix. I have been selecting over the years for my favourites and I've ended up with a good mix of colours, reds and purples are my favourites and I keep the pure white in the mix too. I like the tassled, fringed edges on single blooms and semi doubles but most of all singles. A new addition to the gene pool this year is 'Danish Flag' which is yet to flower but the plants are powering so I won't have long to wait.
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I did a quick loop walk at Scott creek conservation park and took these pictures for you all. Wasn't the best location and I'll do another walk hopefully this weekend in a better spot.
https://plus.google.com/photos/118198884481946835903/albums/6064400260621157105
Sorry I haven't had time to put names on them.
Jamus, thanks for the link to your photos- I really enjoyed seeing them- so different to our flora.
I just HAVE to repeat your first poppy pic from the previous page - it is so very lovely- like something from a fabulous painting..... such a marvellously unexpected colour combo with that blue-lilac centre 8) 8)
[attachimg=1]
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Thanks Maggie. Obviously I can't take the credit for natures beauty but seeing it and capturing it to share with others is the pleasure of photography. You're welcome to some seed if you'd like to try it.
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If there is any chance at all of seed coming with those colours I'd be thrilled to get a few, Jamus - thank you. Will PM you my address :)
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My thanks too Jamus. Regarding the O word, we are allowed to GROW these poppies but we may not import seed or distribute it to anyone or sell it of course. When my purple/blacks flowered last year, a number of people wanted some seed. But I had to say "no." When the seed was ready I found it necessary to go inside quite often and make a cup of tea. :)
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My orientals aren't in bloom yet either, about a month I'd say. I'm hoping for the true 'Patty's Plum' this time, a large plant I was given last November. There's a fat bud just beginning to top the foliage.
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Mum's the word Lesley. ;) I sent some seed to a friend in Western Australia once and they were confiscated, never made it to their destination, no explanation, vanished without a trace... :o
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How strange. It's a common garden plant.
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Hi Jamus,
I can promise you that you will not be disappointed when your Danish Flag flowers, I have been growing it here in Tasmania for the last three years, and giving plenty of seed away.
A beautiful poppy.
cheers John.
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Hi John, I paid for a tiny packet of seed and didn't get great germination either. I might ask you for a little next seaon in exchange for some of mine. :)
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We need to follow this to import seeds. See page 72 of this: http://www.biosecurity.govt.nz/files/ihs/155-02-05.pdf (http://www.biosecurity.govt.nz/files/ihs/155-02-05.pdf)
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How strange
Not entirely unconnected with our opium industry. Tasmania, proudly supplying opiates to the world :D
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A frilly pink version used to seed itself in my garden in Dunblane. 8)
Here's Gladiolus dalenii from a corm "rescued" from tree fern and manuka bush, scheduled to become a housing development off Point View Road, East Auckland a couple of kilometres from us, two years ago. I now have three flowering corms. The area is now marked out and the first houses are going up.
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Ooo that's lovely. Well captured Anthony. I used to hate gladdies (probably Barry Humfries' fault) but as I mature I like them more.
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How strange. It's a common garden plant.
Yes, reasonably common down this way, usually as a double which I don't like in this case, but so many people have given up on them because if they're visible from the street or even if someone mentions you're growing them, you're likely to be visited by those idiots who want an illicit high. We had some in our first garden together and a car which ostensibly "broke down" outside our gate, disgorged it's 3 passengers to come and have a look round the nursery/ garden. I've never seen less likely-looking nursery visitors in my life. Next morning, every poppy plant had been uprooted and removed, even the orientals which would be useless for their purposes anyway. We never heard a thing in the night but they took my portable radio too, which lived in the potting shed. It had a tape in it which I couldn't replace, one I'd bought in Dublin. :'(
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Lesley,
Very sorry to here that you have such barbarians in your area. At our Sacramento garden we have to put up with such things too. A few years ago, I strolled to the front yard with a hot morning tea to find someone in the front yard with an arm load of our flowers ripped from the ground. When I was noticed, they jumped away like wild deer smashing more of the garden before jumping in their car and speeding away. We are not the only ones having to put up with such nonsense in our area. Most of our gardening goes on in the back yard now.
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Hi Jamus,
I have plenty of Danish flag seed from last season stored refrigerated also some seed of the blue and purple poppy that you showed a picture of, that one came up in my garden I can only guess the seed was dropped by a bird (lucky for me). If you like you can send me a pm with your address and I will get them off to you.
cheers John.