Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
General Subjects => General Forum => Topic started by: Gail on April 23, 2019, 06:41:29 PM
-
Has anyone ever seen the purple marsh marigold Caltha palustris var. purpurea in cultivation, or know of a source of seed?
-
Hi Gail,
I think that I might be growing it. I got a couple of small pieces of rhizome from a contact who collected it somewhere in Tibet. He thought it was Caltha sinogracilis rubriflora but it appears to be a dwarf, high-altitude Caltha palustris purpurea.
I haven’t found it to be too easy. I managed to get two plants from the rootstock I received -both flowered then one promptly died whilst the other just clings on. I cross-pollinated and got some seed which has germinated well. The potful of seedlings are now in their 2nd year but are hopelessly entangled. So far I have tortured this plant in pots. Perhaps it might do better in a cool, moist spot in the garden though apparently it is a high alpine species growing along streams in moist mossy banks and in damp alpine turf at between 4,000-5,000m. I’m not sure if I can get more seed this year but hopefully I can grow on the seedlings to flowering size for future seed. If so you are welcome to some -it germinates well when fresh.
Below are some images of my adult plant (which did not appreciate the Easter heatwave and is currently not looking great though the seedlings are fine):
(https://live.staticflickr.com/1751/42748236222_c89038ba77_o_d.jpg)
(https://live.staticflickr.com/8699/17145791497_557f254689_o_d.jpg)
(https://live.staticflickr.com/5567/15000483936_09620dbf06_o_d.jpg)
-
That's funny - it was your third photo, as featured on wiki, that started me looking. I hadn't realised it was yours.
I've just planted the standard and double marsh marigolds alongside the pond of a friend in the village and was thinking of getting the paler form 'Honeydew', but there is some nice moist mossy bank under a mature weeping willow. I'm trying to encourage a Wisteria 'Multijuga' to grow up into the willow then cascade down into the water and an underplanting of purple Caltha would be delightful!
-
it is true that it is beautiful