Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
General Subjects => Flowers and Foliage Now => Topic started by: Mick McLoughlin on October 06, 2009, 08:47:45 PM
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A few pictures of Meconopsis paniculata 'Ghunsa group' in the weekend sunshine.
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Mick, these photos are a real treat.... how photogenic is this plant, eh? ;D 8)
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Mick, it certainly has beautiful foliage. Well captured. Paddy
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Ah..... fuzzy!! ;D Is there any hope of ever managing to grow something like that here? That one wouldn't even matter if it never flowered successfully.... I'd grow it for those leaves alone. What colour will it's flwoers be? Will you add a photograph when they're open please?
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One of the best things about Mec. paniculata and the other Mecs with these big ( and they can get HUGE!) rosettes of leaves is that once they get to flowering size ( usually takes two or three years to reach that stage) you can practically take a seat and watch the flower spikes grow! Great fun.
Mec. paniculata has pretty yellow flowers, Paul.... have a look at the Meconopsis World site:
http://www.meconopsisworld.co.uk/index.html ..... a super site, being developed by James Cobb, with great photos from the wild from all sorts of travelling folk.... mostly SRGC members!! :D
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Wow, Maggi. That is a good head of flowers isn't it? I wonder if it would cope with our summer heat though. ::) Still haven't managed to get a blue poppy to survive, but I will keep trying. I guess I should be trying other varieties of Mecs to see whether they will survive though. For those leaves, it would be well worth it even without flowers.
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Just wonderful, never seen such a splendid hairy array of leaves.... and their colour and edging is gorgeous - a most dramatic looking M and is that a bud coming or am I just hopeful to see your treasure in flower soon Mick?
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Robin,
Still just leaves forming in the centre I think. We're guessing it ma y flower next year.
Thanks all for your comments, quite an amazing plant. It was spotted by Mandy on one of the nursery stands, at a show in 2007 I think, as a wee thing. We had no idea about size, colour etc were just told it was monocarpic and to collect the seed.
Cheers
Mick
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In the garden we have had the rosettes of leaves get to 60 to 75 cms across..... really eyecatching and the flower stem, with many floers can get 1.60m or more! It can be a really striking plant, that's for sure.
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I suspect they may like a quite gritty compost as when I've tried them they grow for a coupli or three years then succumb to winter damp. Presumably excellent drainage is essential.
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Presumably excellent drainage is essential
That's me ;D
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An odd looking Corylus : Generally, Corylus are not good colored foliage in autumn. Corylus americana is a gem with its nice rosy-carmine leaves now, at the begining of autum, and so little i is, it gave me more of 25 nuts
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An odd looking Corylus : Generally, Corylus are not good colored foliage in autumn. Corylus americana is a gem with its nice rosy-carmine leaves now, at the begining of autum, and so little i is, it gave me more of 25 nuts
nice one :) corylus is on my list, C cornuta occurs in alberta, though not right around here, that i have seen..
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it gave me more of 25 nuts
Lucky you, Dominique, how did you hide them from squirrels?
Here the first of the true Autumn Colours in the sunlight yesterday - the silver birches are quite outstanding, a golden yellow and the cherry leaves look wonderful with the light shining through.
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it gave me more of 25 nuts
Lucky you, Dominique, how did you hide them from squirrels?
Here the first of the true Autumn Colours in the sunlight yesterday - the silver birches are quite outstanding, a golden yellow and the cherry leaves look wonderful with the light shining through.
lovely colours, robin...
we were about halfway into our fall colour (apart from understory species, it doesnt go on as long here as in milder places) when winter descended (temporarily, i hope) and now everything is frozen with half the leaves still green! probably when it warms they'll just fall without changing colour..
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The Autumn has taken a long time to arrive here, Cohan, September was an exceptionally warm month for the time of year. Can hardly believe that you are experiencing such cold so soon.
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Well, actually September was exceptionally warm here (Alberta) too... October, though, has been exceptionally cold! Still snow on the ground here, and about
-8 -6 deg C right now.
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yes, lori is right, in my area, and probably hers too, late august and september had some of the warmest days of the entire summer (which is not usual here)..i think this is the reason for the trees being rather late colouring and dropping leaves.. i should find some pics of the last couple of years to compare dates..
at work today (around 30k west and nearer the mountains, which means slightly diff weather, often) it snowed lightly most of the day, it seemed, though there was little new accumulation; in town, with ice on the roadsides, it looks like mid-winter, except with leaves on the trees!
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Euonymus alatus
(http://cs1429.vkontakte.ru/u6450879/95825191/x_d39f0533.jpg)
Eionymus maximoviczianus
(http://cs1618.vkontakte.ru/u6450879/95825191/x_3d364434.jpg)
(http://cs1618.vkontakte.ru/u6450879/95825191/x_40b05754.jpg)
Acer pseudosieboldianum
(http://cs1864.vkontakte.ru/u6450879/95825191/x_fc0e0d2e.jpg)
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very nice Olga, thank you
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Such wonderful colours in the autumn. It is perverse of me that in mid spring I am yearning for autumn colour.
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am i the only one that is unable to see these photos of olga's? i keep returning, assuming its a temporary glitch that will right itself, but hours later, and several other threads where i can see the pics, i still just get little red exes for these.....
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Cohan,
It sounds like for some reason Olga's photos are blocked for you. That unfortunately is the problem with having them stored outside of the forums, instead of uploaded and stored here within the SRGC forum. It might be worthwhile you right clicking with your mouse on one of the red Xs and seeing whether you have an option of unblock the server. I have the option when I right click that allows me to block images from that location, so I am wondering if somehow this has been activated for you and that is why you can't see them.
Without something like that, I'm not sure how you'll be able to see the pics unfortunately. Because they are stored outside of the forums there is nothing that can be done to help from within here as far as I know. :-\
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Cohan,
It sounds like for some reason Olga's photos are blocked for you. That unfortunately is the problem with having them stored outside of the forums, instead of uploaded and stored here within the SRGC forum. It might be worthwhile you right clicking with your mouse on one of the red Xs and seeing whether you have an option of unblock the server. I have the option when I right click that allows me to block images from that location, so I am wondering if somehow this has been activated for you and that is why you can't see them.
Without something like that, I'm not sure how you'll be able to see the pics unfortunately. Because they are stored outside of the forums there is nothing that can be done to help from within here as far as I know. :-\
interesting...i cant even see that they are stored outside the forum, nor where they are stored... could be my firewall then, though its not telling me that anything has been blocked that i could unblock; right click is doing nothing either...
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Cohan,
The only way I can tell they're outside the forum is by right clicking on the images and choosing properties. That an the option to "Block images from....." are the only evidence of them being not the usual method of storing files here. Either way, it sounds like for some reason you cannot access the servers that Olga stores her files on.
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a few from here (wild plants); these are Ribes sp, several of which are very common here, and nice in several seasons--they have some of the earliest leaves in spring, when any hint of life is greatly appreciated! flowers and berries of different colours in summer, and some of the earliest and brightest fall colours;
these shots are from mid september..
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Cohan,
The only way I can tell they're outside the forum is by right clicking on the images and choosing properties. That an the option to "Block images from....." are the only evidence of them being not the usual method of storing files here. Either way, it sounds like for some reason you cannot access the servers that Olga stores her files on.
it is odd, i had looked at properties, and it lists an URL, but my system says nothing about blocking or not.. no indication i can find that my firewall is involved; i tried pasting the URL on another page, and it simply doesnt open..maybe one of those IE things...
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Lovely muted bronze and purple with such a pretty leaf, Cohan :D I love the last photo angle with the spiders web like a hammock 8)
PS is you Avatar stuck in 'July in the Rockies' or is it just wishful thinking? 8) ;)
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Lovely muted bronze and purple with such a pretty leaf, Cohan :D I love the last photo angle with the spiders web like a hammock 8)
PS is you Avatar stuck in 'July in the Rockies' or is it just wishful thinking? 8) ;)
tks, robin, the spiders have their hammocks, and rope ladders, and tightropes, and whatever else they feel like, all over the place!
i was thinking recently it was about time for a new avatar photo, but i havent taken many of myself lately; i'll have to dig about or take a new one ;) yours took me by surprise at first--i thought, oh, a new poster! ;)
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;D ;D ;D
When the snow comes I think the new Forum polo shirt might not be suitable for an Avatar but I wanted to show Maggi it arrived 8)
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oh yes, you said you'd do that, i forgot, and in the small pic, i didn't realise that's what you were wearing.. too bad we can't enlarge those photos..
well, i changed mine to the only recent shot i could find--me in the nearest (small) city, Red Deer, about to enter a shopping mall for a little dose of urbanity ;)
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Cohan
Sorry I do not know what is the problem with my photos. ???
Your Ribes has outstanding fall color!
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I try to insert image from another website. Cohan do you see it?
(http://macroclub.ru/gallery/data/765/thumbs/IMG_04871.JPG)
http://macroclub.ru/gallery/data/765/IMG_04871.JPG
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I try to insert image from another website. Cohan do you see it?
thanks olga--the ribes are nice also because they are everywhere-- i guess the birds like the berries so they plant them ;)
this photo i can see, and its very lovely! what is it?
i thought maybe i would be able to see the other photos after re-starting my computer (a small program that works with the internet software is troublesome), but i still cannot... i bet its Internet Explorer..
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Cohan,did you try Firefox?
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Cohan,did you try Firefox?
michael--i haven't--having had dial-up as the only real option out here for a long time, there hasnt been much downloading of extra programs, and i've generally wanted to keep running as simple as possible; now we have an internet connection via cell-phone technology, which is faster, when it works properly, so i may yet have to break down and get another browser...lol
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a few more natives;
Viburnum edule
this has realy nice colours and tasty (sour) berries, but hard to get good light for a shot in fall--they are in shady places, and as the sun gets lower, not much light :(
one i don't think of in terms of fall colour, but there it is!
Mentha arvensis
a low creeping raspberry, another not so much associated with fall colour, though they can be very nice..
Rubus pubescens
last, a couple of views in the woods around my house..
these are all still mid-september
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Olga,
Is there a reason why you host them outside the forum rather than uploading them and storing them here? It seems like you're making an extra step for yourself that you don't need to?
Lovely pics, Cohan. Autumn colour is such a strange idea at the moment here, given it is spring. ;D
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thanks paul :)
some of the earliest spring plants here have colour then, too--reds and violets in new leaves to help cope with the cold! i doubt many plants need that in your climate ;)
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Nice pictures. Rubus pubescens is a new one on me. Do you use the berries? If you have any seed I'd be very interested to try it!
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Nice pictures. Rubus pubescens is a new one on me. Do you use the berries? If you have any seed I'd be very interested to try it!
stephen--the name pubescens is a bit tentative, since my reference is not that great--i see two possible species of this type for my area--low and trailing with rather weak stems to about a metre--certainly more robust than arcticus; the other species named is pedatus, but that should have more palmate leaves;
this is growing wild here, quite common, but not that productive in terms of fruit--this year, after a heavy and late winter snow, it flowered much more than i usually see, but still not that many berries, which are typical raspberry but quite small--not that many 'cells'..
i didnt collect any seed, but i could watch next year, or maybe try to send some cuttings in spring?
btw--i have some mertensia seed for you, so i will need your address soon :)
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Magnolia grandiflora 'Kay Paris'
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Although for officianodos of English Ivies (Hedera sps), this is probably nothing too special, this seedling appeared in the garden about 6 years ago and I've let it develope in a few areas to see what it does. Best in shadow to half- sun, as it shows a propensity to spider mite in dry, hot areas, it consistently produces these fine, curved leaves and creates an interesting texture on a wall. Tame in comparison to most cultivars, not yet becoming a thug. I've given it the garden name of Cologne Scimitar.
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Two super plants. Finest quality suede on the Magnolia var and a very nice ivy. I could almost get to like that one. :)
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From a walk in Mount Usher Gardens, County Wicklow, Ireland on Saturday last. Paddy
Seed on Acer azikazuki
Actinidia kolomikta
Arbutus andrachne
Enkianthus campanulatus
Stewartia monadelpha
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Beautiful, Paddy ... particularly like the Actinidia ...
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Paddy, you've lit up my day! What wonderful Autumn colour images from you walk, all gorgeous and so intense - Arbutus andrachne looks on fire 8)
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Great images Paddy, I love Enkianthus in the autumn. Cheers 8)
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If ever you come to Ireland this is the garden you should not miss. It is in a very natural style, "Robinsonian" is the adjective normally applied, following the style advocated by William Robinson - use plants which grow with ease in your garden and allow them to naturalise, so the garden is very soft, gentle with an extraordinary range of trees.
Actually, I put a list into an e-mail I wrote to a friend in Maryland yesterday and will copy and paste it here for your interest. Also, one photograph which I particularly life from Saturday - must put a few into "places visited" section.
Paddy
List of trees at Mount Usher - not a complete list but the trees which are most easily observed and they are in the order in which one would encounter them on a walk as they were listed to go with a map of the garden.
Berberis valdiviana
Acer palmatum
Cornus capitata
Juniperus recurva
Pinu heldrichii
Acer palmatum atropurpureum
Pseudolarix amabilis
Corylus avellana 'Cortorta'
Dis antuuis cercidifolius
Nothofagus fusca - a magnificent example
Cornus kousa
Acer griseum
Magnolia kobus
Dicksonia antartica
Dicksonia squarrosa
Pittosporum eugeniodies
Magnolia campbelli 'Charles Raffil'
Eucryphia moorei
Cunninghamia lanceolata
Sciadopitys verticillata
Liriodendron tulipifera
Embothrium coccineum
Michelia doltsopa
Eucalyptus pauciflora
Athrotaxis selaginoides
Davidia involucrata
Pinus montezumae - two brilliant specimens
Podocarpus salignus - a lovely tree
Eucryphia glutinosa
Liriodendron chinensis
Eucalyptus viminalis
Quercus suber
Cordalin indivisa
Eucalyptus urnigera
Cupressus lusitanica
Stewartia rostrata
Rhododendron loderi 'King George'
Aesculus indica 'Sydney Pearse'
Magnolia wilsonii
Nothogagus dombeyi
Picea breweriana
Nothofagus menziesii
Chamaecyparis lawsoniana 'Elegantissima'
Eucryphia x nymansensis 'Mount Usher'
Trachycarpus fortunei
Luma apiculata
Stewartis monadelpha
Cornus alternifolia 'Argentea'
Carya glabra
Arbutus andrachne
Buddleja pterocaulis
Dodonea viscosa purpurea
Quercus glauca
Quercus alnifolia - a most peculiar tree
Thuya plicata
Calocedrus decurrens
Betula utilis
Malus huphensis - couldn't figure this one out for ages, tiny red crabapples
Betula maximowicziana
Cornus controversa variegata
Drimys winteri
Phyllocladus trichomanoides
Crinodendron hookeriana
Acer palmatum 'Sango Kaku'
Rhododendron barbatum
Liquidamber styraciflue - not yet at its best yet but fabulous in a fortnight's time, I expect, overhanging the river
Magnolia x veitchii
Magnolia delavayii
Populus mazimowiczii
Fuschia excorticate
Cornus nutalii
Parrotia persica
Halesia carolina
Chamaecyparis lawsonia 'Hillieri'
Quercus castaneifolia
Cercidiphyllum magnificum
Metasequoia glyptostroboides
Acer cappadocicum - a fabulous specimen
Hoheria glabrate 'Glory of Amlwch'
Pterocarya fraxinifolia
Pinus montezumae
Cornus 'Eddie's White Wonder'
Magnolia grandifolia 'Goliath'
Tetradium daniellii - great specimen, hopes for my young tree at home.
Eucryphis x intermedia 'Rostrevor'
Prunus padus 'Pandora'
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That will look nice in Autumn, Paddy! ;D :o
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That will look nice in Autumn, Paddy! ;D :o
Just wait until the colour come in!
Paddy
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Absolutely glorious, Paddy!
Would love to see the Nothofagus collection.
johnw
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Stunning pictures Paddy !! :o :o
Awesome colours ! :D
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A wonderful colour palette of superb trees. Thanks for this glimpse of Mt Usher Paddy. It seems NZ Nothofagus do well there. I'd love to see the N. fusca. I have one about 2 metres high. :)
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Lesley,
Nothofagus obviously do very well here. You have seen the photograph of N. fusca, easy to photograph as it is on the bank of the river. There are outstanding specimens of N.menzeisii and N. dombeyi, the latter as big as a mature northern hemisphere beech. However, these are planted in a woodland setting and impossible to photograph well except to stand under them and point the camera upwards, not a great shot. Excellent, and very large, specimens of eucalyptus here also.
Mount Congreve, a garden very close to me has good specimens of nothofagus also but I'm not sure if there are any N. fusca.
Paddy
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Glorious, Paddy!! :o
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Great test for the ageing brain..... am about to attempt to post promised Heuchera pics and it's like swimming in half set jelly Hold the nose and jump!!!!! Starting with H Mahogany, then H Peach Flambe,
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Wow I did it! Here are more heucheras for your cookbook H Marmalade, H Frosted Sugar,H Southern Comfort, H Georgia Peach in bloom now and H Blackberry Jam
Last one is H Frosted Violet with Peach Flambe in background all photographed today
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These are undoubtedly making excellent container specimens, Gwen..... and each one looking as good as its name would suggest.
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Wow I did it! Here are more heucheras for your cookbook H Marmalade, H Frosted Sugar,H Southern Comfort, H Georgia Peach in bloom now and H Blackberry Jam
Last one is H Frosted Violet with Peach Flambe in background all photographed today
Your photos are wonderful, Gwen, and show your heucheras off to perfection ;D So pleased you have posted them as I love their foliage too but have only grown the red leafed and bronze - now you have opened Pandora's Box i will be looking for others and had no idea there was such a range. I used to grow them in a dappled shade tulip bed which worked well coming up after the tulips and hiding their dying leaves followed by suspended heuchera flowers - just such a fab plant 8)
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The Autumn colours have hit me overnight. Some are not as good as last season, some are even better. here are a few shots of Acer cultivars.
Acer palmatum atrolineare- Summer foliage
A. pal.-atrolineare Autumn colour
A. pal.-atrolineare Atumn
A. pal-dissectum atropurpureum AC
A. pal-dissectum variegatum AC
A. pal-dissectum AC
A. seedling davidii hybrid
A. palmatum corallinum 'Sango-Kaku'
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Jamie,
The acers rarely fail to please in autumn and you have a wonderful selection here, nice cultivars and wonderfully grown.
Good show, Paddy
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Thanks, Paddy,
I didn't include a shot of the strongly variegated A. Phönix', as I know you find them a bit vulgar! ;D ;D ;D. Doesn't have good Autumn colour in any case, being semi-evergreen.
jamie
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Marvellous colour on the maples Jamie.
Fall foliage here:
Photo 1 - Menziesia ciliicalyx v. purpurea
2 - Enkianthus campanulatus v compacta
3 - Rhododendron mucronulatum v. taguetii
4 - Viburnum betuloides
5 - Rhododendron mucronulatum v. taguetii - self sown in a trough
6 - Rhododendron mucronulatum v. taguetii - self sown in a trough
Very heavy rain here yesterday and cold, now warm - +18c - and sunny.
johnw
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A few more:
1 - Diapensia lapponica
2 - Diapensia lapponica
3 - Disanthus cercidifolius - one of the best if not the best and starts in August, colour varies from near black to red.
4 - Disanthus cercidifolius
5 - Disanthus cercidifolius
6 - Shortia soldanelloides
johnw
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Simply wonderful Autumn colour hit me in this thread ;D Thanks so much Jamie and John for showing your images and including the the Rhodos ad other lovelies.
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Great colour, John.
Paddy
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All are really superb. I am totally obsessed by autumn colour and look for it in small things as well as trees. Hostas and Pleiones are both very rewarding for colour in the fall. (I've NEVER said "fall" before in this context. It must be association with all these Canadians and Americans. ;D)
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Lesley - - Here is one of my own hybrids Rhododendron mucronulatum v taguettii x leucaspis. Stays evergreen most of the winter. It managed the hairiness of leucaspis rather well. Unfortunately leucaspis won't do here.
johnw
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That is super foliage John. What are the flowers like? Leucaspis does well for me and I've frequently thought of crossing it with something. Typically, have not got around to it yet but some day.....
I don't think I've ever seen mucronulatum except here on the Forum. I'm sure it will be in NZ but most gardeners here tend to stick with the flashier hybrids which may not be quite hardy for you. Heaps of colour and frilly bits but to my mind, many lack the character of species.
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Well, in this horrible October we're having, there's been very little of the usual fall colour, mostly just dead brown leaves! Here's a little bit of colour, though, on Rhododendron mucronulatum 'Crater's Edge'... (since we're on the subject.) :) It's completely deciduous here. Yes, that is more snow. We had a few inches of wet, heavy snow on Saturday morning that is still hanging around.... ugghh.
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That is super foliage John. What are the flowers like? Leucaspis does well for me and I've frequently thought of crossing it with something. Typically, have not got around to it yet but some day.....
I don't think I've ever seen mucronulatum except here on the Forum. I'm sure it will be in NZ but most gardeners here tend to stick with the flashier hybrids which may not be quite hardy for you. Heaps of colour and frilly bits but to my mind, many lack the character of species.
If you had mentioned mucronulatum 5 minutes earlier I could have included some in the envelope I just sealed! I just yesterday harvested seed from the first rhododendron I bought 35 years ago. It is mucronulatum Woodland Pink x mucronulatum Cornell Pink, clear pink flowers and is now over 9 ft high and losing steam; o.p. seed throws some pinks and they grow like mad and flower in a year. The seed is for Paul but there's plenty so next mailing. I also collected some pods of mucronulatum v. taguettii (formerly Cheju & var. chejuensis) which he wanted but they've not split open yet -so will send some of them too - purplish but only 20" high x 30" wide in 25 odd years with a huge fat trunk. I have selected some great pink dwarf mucs from a cross of two selected pink dwarves from a friend in Hokkaido, unfortunately they have been reluctant to set seed so far. The friend also has a white dwarf muc too. (You should see his dauricum v nanum Album x edgeworthii!)
re: my hybrid
Here are shots of the flower of my leucaspis and my leucaspis hybrid. I wanted those scrumptious dark anthers but alas. Maybe a backcross is in order. I love leucaspis, the pollen I used I collected in the greenhouse at Glendoick and I had it labelled pink leucaspis - must have had a tinge of pink otherwise I would never have forgottoen a pink leucaspis with dark anthers!!!
1 leucaspis
2. mucronulatum v. taguetii (Cheju) x leucaspis
By the way do you grow R. dendrocharis?
johnw
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Crackers of little Rhodos, John. Great stuff. Rarely see many of the species around here I must admit, particularly small types. 8)
Glorious colours, everyone.
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The hybrid looks very good John. Perhaps the anthers could be a little darker but I think I'd be pleased with those. Dendrocharis was offered on a Rhododendron Group plant list maybe 5 years ago and stupidly I didn't apply for it. Didn't know it at the time. Dunedin Rh Group is a great group of mainly locals but some throughout NZ and they compile an annual plant list from local and other growers, both of species and hybrids and other plants that one might associate in the garden, with rhodoas; meconopsis, arisaema, primula and whatever. There are frequently rare and very exciting things offered, sometimes just a couple of plants so it pays to be jolly quick.
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I am totally obsessed by autumn colour and look for it in small things as well as trees
I agree with Lesley, variety of foliage and foliage colour is so important at all times of year but especially so in the Autumn. It's the see-through quality of ageing leaves in the sunlight, too, that adds another dimension to plantings. Hostas are fantastic in this respect but I doubt if I could grow them in the Alps so I will have to admire them on these pages.
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John, I'm so excited to see your Rhododenrons with that wonderful deep intense red brought on by Autumn cold. Your close ups dhow the leaves perfectly, even the hairs! Thanks for all the information too. You leucaspis is just magic lit up against those dark leaves :D
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Robin - If you like hair the hybrid - quite unlike myself - has lots on the new shoots.
johnw
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;D ;D ;D 8)
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Now I appreciate that John, I just love the shoots of rhodos (at this point I have to say that the motto of Norfolk is Dew different!)
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. Hostas are fantastic in this respect but I doubt if I could grow them in the Alps so I will have to admire them on these pages.
Robin - I can send you seed of the dwarf mucronulatum if you are interested. As it comes from Cheju-Do, high up, you should have no problem with it and snowload. BTW Hostas should do great for you, start with the best and don't catch the bug - you only need three - Devon Green, June and English Fragrance; I'm bound to get into trouble with a statement like that.
johnw
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John, I would love to try growing your dwarf mucronulatum from seed but need to know what to do - also there is a postal strike in the UK so everything is chaotic, I think. When should you sow the seed?
Have been on the web to look at your suggestions and 'yes' have got sucked in to all the wonderful Hosta leaves and Fragrances but am still not sure they wold do well here at 1,200 metres, freezing cold winters and dry baking hot summers - Spring and Autumn ones would be best I suppose but haven't seen anyone else growing them here - now there's a challenge ;D
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Robin - I had no idea you would be baking hot in the summer in the alps at that altitude. I must do some summer travelling and get out of the fog to see what happens when the sun shines elsewhere.
Probably the best thing to do would be to just sprinkle some of the rhodo seed in a scree in the autumn and some more in the spring and sit it out. This mucronulatum should be able to handle cold if Lori is growing it (Crater's Edge - a selected form of var. taguettii) so well in Calgary. How cold and hot does it get there?
The mail from here would go directly to Switzerland and thus avoid the UK strike. PM me your address if you still want the seed. At the moment I fear there is a precious snowdrop shipment of ours in that heap of 65 million back-logged letters in London!
johnw
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Robin, John and Brian, if you like hair (or feel the lack of it) you should take a look on the CALOCHORTUS thread at C. elegans var nanus. It has hair to spair. :)
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And yes John, you're in trouble over the Hosta statement. ;D
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Robin, John and Brian, if you like hair (or feel the lack of it) you should take a look on the CALOCHORTUS thread at C. elegans var nanus. It has hair to spair. :)
Lesley
Thank-you so much for the dig. The top of my head is now feeling more like the Azorella compacta in the Peru thread - you know, the one with the discarded toupée to the left of the plant.
http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=4391.0 (http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=4391.0)
johnw
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...all the wonderful Hosta leaves and Fragrances but am still not sure they wold do well here at 1,200 metres, freezing cold winters and dry baking hot summers - Spring and Autumn ones would be best I suppose but haven't seen anyone else growing them here - now there's a challenge ;D
Robin, hostas are quite indestructible. They are commonly grown in the coldest parts of the Canadian prairies - I mean where they have real winters, e.g. lows of -40 C for a few weeks at a time, and hot summers (unlike these wimpy Calgary winters where our relatively brief cold spells are regularly broken by chinooks, and the summers are chilly). There have even been hosta breeders resident in those parts, so I doubt very much that your conditions would faze them.
You would probably grow Rhododendron mucronulatum much better than I can, provided you normally have snow cover through the winter (as I expect you probably do). In normal winters here, the flower buds are generally killed off by the lack of lasting snow cover (unless protected, of course). (Last year was an exception, with the unusually heavy and persistent snow, and I actually got to see it in full bloom for the first time in 11-12 years!)
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Truly sorry John, :D but as I've not seen a picture of you I wasn't really sure whether you were in need or not. If I were a man I think I'd rather be the Azorella than the discarded toupee. Bald is considered sexy nowadays and a couple of my most favourite men are smooth as baby's... ;D
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Robin, hostas are quite indestructible.
Unless you have snails about, then they're VERY destructible. I grow very few because they fall prey to the snails all the time. ::)
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Look for modern hybrids Paul. They are bred for thick texture and toughness, and snails just don't bother with them and they stand even severe hail storms. They provide great autumn colour too, usually deep honey colours and gold. (Of course I can say this as I have no snails. 8))
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No snails!! Oh to have no snails!! ::) They are positively heartbreaking beasts, I tell you!! >:(
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No snails :o :o :o Unbelievable....we have plenty of Roman ones here that munch through everything especially in mid Spring/ after rain - never thought I was providing the perfect habitat for them either in the cool root run places designed for Alpines not B&B for snails! Still, it's very good news that there are Hostas which are snail and slug resistant and great leaf colour and I shall have a go and see what happens.
Thanks everyone for all the information and experiences of growing Hostas - I'm glad the subject came up, even if Lesley says you're hot water for your suggestions John :P
Lori, we do have deep snow until March (still skiing season up until Easter) from sometime before Christmas. Already there is snow on the high peaks and the temperature has been fluctuating like mad from frosty to very warm. Amazed to see that some seed I scattered of the wild lily is already up and growing away (it's the white one I posted in one of my Alpine walks in Valais)
Temps here are: average 25-35°C from June – September average -1-15°C December – March
The Valais region has over 300 days of sunshine a year and an average precipitation amount of 500 to 600 mm/year (19 – 23 inches)
At 1200 metres the weather is variable by a few degrees
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Nice pics of autumn colours Jamie, John and Lori!
Some autumn colours from my garden.
Poul
Cornus Kousa.jpg
Hosta.jpg
Sedum.jpg
Sorbus with mistletoe.jpg
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And some flowers.
Poul
Arum pictum.jpg
Crocus banaticus seedlings.jpg
Crocus nudiflorus seedling1.jpg
Crocus nudiflorus seedling2.jpg
Crocus medius.jpg
Crocus speciosus1.jpg
Nerine sarniensis.jpg
Nerine Stephanie.jpg
Sternbergia sicula Dodona Gold1.jpg
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Lovely Autumn look to your garden, Poul, the group of C speciosus in the brown leaves is fabulous
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I had snails in a previous garden and when I weeded, I heaved them out into the street where cars did for them but I had to stop that. The stench of rotting meat became unbearable. ::)
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Poul, I do like your Nerine 'Stephanie,' a really spidery appearance, or just maybe wild hair (unlike some :).
The Cornus kousa too. Mine doesn't colour as well as that, maybe not cold enough.
Robin my mother's garden had snails and once she captured a couple in a jar for me to take for a "school show and tell" thing. She gave them a fresh lettuce leaf for their supper and later in the evening when everyone else had gone to bed, she HEARD them munching away on their salad. :o
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A few more either colouring up for autumn or putting on their woolies for winter. The Potentilla
nitida dickinsii could be a bit of a self-seeding pest if unleashed in the garden.
johnw
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Surely that isn't Potentilla nitida, John?
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John,
Great shots of some smaller specimens. I find my myself bending to check out the fall form and foliage of some of my little plants.
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Surely that isn't Potentilla nitida, John?
Cliff - Of course it isn't nitida . It's Potentilla dickinsii. How did I manage to pull that name out of the hat?
Posting now corrected. Keep an eye on me! ::)
Just in the process of cleaning Magnolia species seed - 5 and 10 pound lots, what a mess.
johnw
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Surely that isn't Potentilla nitida, John?
Cliff - Of course it isn't nitida . It's Potentilla dickinsii. How did I manage to pull that name out of the hat?
Posting now corrected. Keep an eye on me! ::)
johnw
Only if you will reciprocate, John? ;D
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The Cornus kousa too. Mine doesn't colour as well as that, maybe not cold enough.
Lesley, I think the colouring is depending upon the soil. I have two cornus kousa in my garden, the one shown above is placed among Rhododendron in an acid, humid soil. The other is placed in a more neutral soil 10 meters away and it does not have the same rich colours. Both are cuttings from the same mother plant.
Poul
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Thanks for that Poul. My garden is quite neutral except where I've added either peat or lime. I must dig some arround the Cornus.
John that is a stunning Potentilla for autumn coloir. As to P. nitida, mine has produced a single flower in maybe 15 years. Why haven't I thrown it out?
When does Cornus canadensis flower please? I hoped my 7 plants would this spring but no sign though they're growing well and will be planted out as soon as the rain clears.
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Lesley - Cornus canadensis blooms sometime around June 1st here. I can't say exactly, not something I pay much attention to as it's everywhere. It oftentimes grows in the forest duff above the soil and wanders through that. A bit of a pest for me in the south along with Clintonia borealis and the cursed Maianthemum both which behave the same way. We often see intermittent flowering all through the summer and a few flowers in the autumn on aberrant Cornus plants. The soil and duff here is extremely acidic. The Cornus also grows on rotting stumps and logs. Torture it a bit.
You are not the first to ask about flowering it!
johnw
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Oh well, there's hope yet then, as that would be December here. It is very acidic where it will be going and there's quite a lot of accumulated leaf litter so maybe it will feel at home. My late mother had flowers at least sometimes, but so long ago I'd forgotten when. She never had fruit but it was a single clone. That's why I'll plant out all 7 in a patch. The odds in favour of both male and female must be quite high. :)
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Oh well, there's hope yet then, as that would be December here.
In your climate you might count on three weeks earlier. We must have the longest spring on the continent here, it's so cool at night and daytime for that matter!
johnw
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Oh well, there's hope yet then, as that would be December here. It is very acidic where it will be going and there's quite a lot of accumulated leaf litter so maybe it will feel at home. My late mother had flowers at least sometimes, but so long ago I'd forgotten when. She never had fruit but it was a single clone. That's why I'll plant out all 7 in a patch. The odds in favour of both male and female must be quite high. :)
i'm working on a photo set of cornus, esp canadensis, from flower through fruit and autumn colours, so you will be able to see by the photo dates when it was in flower; as john says, its not that early, our spring is slow and cold too, though maybe sunnier than john's, but our first flowers (of other plants) are late april in a really good year, early may, otherwise, but the cornus is quite a bit later than that; its super abundant here as well, if you want more seed to scatter about, let me know...
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As to P. nitida, mine has produced a single flower in maybe 15 years. Why haven't I thrown it out?
Move your garden a little higher perhaps, Lesley? :D
POTENTILLA NITIDA RUBRA for Lesley
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As to P. nitida, mine has produced a single flower in maybe 15 years. Why haven't I thrown it out?
Move your garden a little higher perhaps, Lesley? :D
POTENTILLA NITIDA RUBRA for Lesley
wouldnt mind having one of those in my garden! the rock face, i mean ;) though the potentilla is lovely..
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Cohan I'll look forward to your photos in due course. They'll make me feel wildly envious I expect.
Cruel, cruel Cliff, but so beautiful all the same and I thank you for showing them. I'm thinking of growing one of those pink-flowered strawberry plants nearby and stripping most of its leaves away in hope the flowers will be mistaken for potentilla. ;D
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Image showing a host of garden visitors leaving Lesley's place after they discover her deception.
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Did they jump or were they pushed? ;D I don't see an abseiling rope there.
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Cruel, cruel Cliff, but so beautiful all the same and I thank you for showing them. I'm thinking of growing one of those pink-flowered strawberry plants nearby and stripping most of its leaves away in hope the flowers will be mistaken for potentilla. ;D
Lesley,
Shouldn't that be "Cruel, Cruel Cliff, Cliff"? That is one heck of a cliff to look over, Cliff. :o
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I believe this should be removed from the "Foliage now" thread... >:(
Lesley talks about stripping plants of their leaves and Cliff keeps showing pictures with plants of Potentilla nitida with too many flowers hiding the foliage... :-\ :-[ ;D ;)
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I believe this should be removed from the "Foliage now" thread... >:(
Lesley talks about stripping plants of their leaves and Cliff keeps showing pictures with plants of Potentilla nitida with too many flowers hiding the foliage... :-\ :-[ ;D ;)
Quite right, Luc.... what are these folk thinking of? ::) There is abuse of foliage here... it must stop!
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I take it you wouldn't go watering those plants at night Cliff? :o
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Here's what the wind can do. These are pine trees at the back of the beach east of Ca'n Picafort, Mallorca.
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The wind is certainly a great leveller isn't it? I remember the plants at the very south of the South Island, of Leptospermum scoparium (source of manuka honey). Shorn by winds of the great southern ocean they are just a few centimetres high compared with inland places where they reach up to 10 metres.
Tragically, a large part of this coastal conservation reservation was gutted by fire a few days ago, around 1000 hectares destroyed by what is believed to be a spark from the vehicle of a weed control contactor. DOC people say it will take 5 decades to regenerate. Among tthe manuka plants there were little blue Thelymitra orchids, a bladderwort, Utricularia monanthos with little purple apron flowers and Gentiana saxosa, flowering right on the wave line along with many other native plants, many thought of as "alpine" even though growing right at sea level, but still above the non-existent tree line.
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Whay is Manuka honey so expensive. Does it taste better than Gales?
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I suppose it is hard to get a lot of it and the shipping costs must be high, but YES, it tastes fantastic and is full of goodness!
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I don't know Gales, Mark so can't say but for my taste, manuka honey isn't very nice at all. It is extremely strong to start with and has a sort of chemical flavour underlying the sweetness.
It is so expensive because it has antibiotic properties and the processing to stabilise these is quite complicated and long-winded. Many brands which SAY they are antibiotic are nothing at all really and nowadays it is truly a case of buyer beware. But if you get the genuine thing, it really is a great healer for all kinds of things from burns, ulcers on the leg (local doctors are treating the ulcers on elderly people with honey instead of regular antibiotics, and very successfully), stomach lesions, all kinds of things. One of our German Forum members swears by it for discomfort following major stomach surgery some years ago.
Roger sometimes has it on his toast but I prefer good old (and resonably priced) clover honey.
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Here for Cliff - with apologies for reverting to type - the fake Potentilla nitida rubra and the reason why those poor, disappointed folk have left my aeriel garden in disgust.
[attachthumb=1]
I believe this form is called 'Lipstick'and I shall certainly be licking my own lips when the fruit start. :)
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Photographed yesterday
Gingko biloba - planted as a young tree about 1970!
Gerd
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A beautiful tree Gerd, one that is popular here. I read somewhere that the fruit on the female tree have a horrid smell but I didn't notice this on trees last year at christchurch Botanic Garden, and covered with fruit.
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A beautiful tree Gwerd, one that is popular here. I read somewhere that the fruit on the female tree have a horrid smell but I didn't notice this on trees last year at christchurch Botanic Garden, and covered with fruit.
i used to pass by a rare female in toronto which dropped its fruit on the sidewalk, so it was all mashed about--and when you'd get near, you'd start looking for the puddles of vomit to avoid! :-X
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Well I guess that says all that needs to be said Cohan. A female thing? Gosh, I hope not. :o
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interestingly enough, i think those stinky fruits are edible or medicinal, i forget the details....
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Cohan,
the nuts are considered a delicacy in China, where they are roasted after cleaning. I've never had the oportunity to try them.
jamie
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Cohan,
the nuts are considered a delicacy in China, where they are roasted after cleaning. I've never had the oportunity to try them.
jamie
thats about what i thought :)
i'd like to try it here, prob from seed, its probably marginally hardy, but i think some people in alberta have succeeded--my place gets very cold, but is quite sheltered from wind...i have a tilia cordata doing well, which i guess is marginal here
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Gerd / Cohan / Lesley
There a a few very old Ginkgos in Halifax but I have never seen flowers on them. Maybe we're too summer cool. ???
I not so fondly recall going to Maymount Park in Richmond, Virginia to collect seeds in the 70's We had baskets and would collect for a few minutes then one of us would invariably have to run off and gag for awhile and then return to collect again. The female trees were indiscrimantely planted as street trees in the eastern USA back in the early 1900's and there are famous shots of all the females being sawed down overnight by local residents, I think one in Donald Wyman's book. The smell like large dog droppings and yet the nuts are indeed quite tasty.
In old age the tree sends down aerial roots;
http://pagesperso-orange.fr/ginkgo.dm/images/Ornementation/nigatake2b1p.jpg
A fabulous tree:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b7/Jingu_Gaien_Ginkgo_Street_Tokyo.jpg
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/107/314938626_bd7235b9ed.jpg
The cultivar Chi Chi 'Tubiforme' is a great practical joker, there are a few around here and a bit of a shocker when it's misty.
A glorious day here and mild.
johnw
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Gerd / Cohan / Lesley
There a a few very old Ginkgos in Halifax but I have never seen flowers on them. Maybe we're too summer cool. ???
I not so fondly recall going to Maymount Park in Richmond, Virginia to collect seeds in the 70's We had baskets and would collect for a few minutes then one of us would invariably have to run off and gag for awhile and then return to collect again.
The female trees were indiscrimantely planted as street trees in the eastern USA back in the early 1900's and there are famous shots of all the females being sawed down overnight by local residents, I think one in Donald Wyman's book. The smell like large dog droppings and yet the nuts are indeed quite tasty.
In old age the tree sends down aerial roots, scroll down.
johnw
maybe your trees are all male... i only recall seeing the one female(maybe one other?) in dwntwn toronto..it wasnt terribly old..
the aerial roots are interesting... 1000 yrs!
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A beautiful tree Gerd, one that is popular here. I read somewhere that the fruit on the female tree have a horrid smell but I didn't notice this on trees last year at christchurch Botanic Garden, and covered with fruit.
The horrid smell of the fruits can only be recognized when the fall to the ground, late in autumn to early winter. The smell like rancid butter.
Here in Germany (but I think, the same in other countries) the gardeners graft a female branch in the male trees.
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The horrid smell of the fruits can only be recognized when the fall to the ground, late in autumn to early winter. The smell like rancid butter.
Here in Germany (but I think, the same in other countries) the gardeners graft a female branch in the male trees.
Uli, I never found a fruiting Gingko in my region - is it true that nurseries here are
selling only male plants ? Are you able to tell me a place with a female tree?
Interesting story concerning the grafted female branch!
Gerd
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A beautiful tree Gerd, one that is popular here. I read somewhere that the fruit on the female tree have a horrid smell but I didn't notice this on trees last year at christchurch Botanic Garden, and covered with fruit.
The horrid smell of the fruits can only be recognized when the fall to the ground, late in autumn to early winter. The smell like rancid butter.
Here in Germany (but I think, the same in other countries) the gardeners graft a female branch in the male trees.
rancid butter seems polite ;) to me, its exactly vomit!
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Gerd,I know about female Ginkgo trees in the Stuttgart Wilhelma gardens,but am not sure if they still exist.
The distinct smell of the the fallen fruits competed with the perfume of the goats beneath them.
Some towns in Germany use these beside the roads,because they are almost immune against the usual
air pollution.They prefer male trees(you surely know the reason)and columnar growing forms.
Special nurseries offer many special cultivars and dwarf forms,which are suitable for small gardens.
The Dutch cultivar Marejken is widely available in garden centres,a very good form in my opinion
for us rockgardeners
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Thank you Rudi,
Unfortunately the ' Wilhelma ' is a little bit too far from here to make an autum journey. In the seventies of last century I was employed in a small nursery which
sold Gingkos - but I wasn't told whether they were selected or not. My own tree either is a male one or is too young to bear fruits.
Gerd
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Gerd,I am sure,that several arboretums in your region have
female Ginkgos in their collections.
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The nurseries in NZ only have male forms available.
An interesting and disgusting selection of smells apparently. Presumably if the smell is from the fallen fruit only, it will be from the fleshy coating on the seed as it decays? I think any smell would be worth it if from the incredible avenue in John's last link. But they are probably males too. I'd happily travel a long way to see that sight.
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Uli, I never found a fruiting Ginkgo in my region - is it true that nurseries here are
selling only male plants ? Are you able to tell me a place with a female tree?
Interesting story concerning the grafted female branch!
Gerd
[/quote]
Gerd,
they sell every time only male plants ;D ;D, because you can not decide if a tree is male or female. I don't know a female tree in your area. But I know big trees in the Flora of Cologne and the Forest botanical garden of Cologne. Someone tell me the story, that in a town at the Niederrhein a avenue of female Ginkgo exist. But I'm not sure if this avenue exist any more.
Uli
Female species are in the botanic garden of Hannover and the Forest botanical garden of Goettingen. Maybe E. Pasche know a species.
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One can tell the males from the females by way of the branching. Females are much broader branched, while the males tend to an almost fastigiate form. This is pretty obvious even when young. Here, in Cologne, we do have a few females as street trees, but they are still to immature to bear fruit. We'll have to see what happens when. Germans are not particularly tolerant of bad smells! ;D ;D But, then, who is? 8)
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Thank you Uli and Jamie - a very long time ago I saw fruits of a female tree at the island of Mainau/Bodensee. Hope I'll find another one here in the neighborhood one times.
One can tell the males from the females by way of the branching. Females are much broader branched, while the males tend to an almost fastigiate form.
... easy to remember - just as with human variety! ;)
Gerd
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I have seen female Ginkgos trees used to great effect in some Italian towns where used as planting in town squares where the branches spread out wide and provided great shade during the heat of the day.