Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum

General Subjects => Travel / Places to Visit => Topic started by: Julia on November 16, 2010, 03:35:55 PM

Title: Bhutan 2010
Post by: Julia on November 16, 2010, 03:35:55 PM: Hi,
I was lucky enough to go to Bhutan this June and July with a small group of friends.
They were Elspeth Mackintosh, Margaret and David Thorne, Tim Lever and Martin Walsh.
At last I have time to show you all some of my pictures and I hope you enjoy them.
Title: Re: Bhutan 2010
Post by: Brian Ellis on November 16, 2010, 03:38:51 PM: Love the policeman's hut and the scaffolding Julia, hope to see more. ;D
Title: Re: Bhutan 2010
Post by: Julia on November 16, 2010, 03:54:16 PM: The picture were all from Thimphu
The nextones I'm putting on our from the Dochula Pass - the Magnolia was fantastic even with the mist and Prayer Flags draped all over them
Title: Re: Bhutan 2010
Post by: Julia on November 16, 2010, 03:56:38 PM: Dochula Pass
Title: Re: Bhutan 2010
Post by: Julia on November 16, 2010, 04:27:14 PM: These pictures are of the 1st day walking up through the woods and very wet and muddy paths.
Also of my favorite creepy thing - the leech!
The monsoon was very wet this year and so we had days of rain and the mud was unbelievable up to our knees...
Title: Re: Bhutan 2010
Post by: Julia on November 16, 2010, 04:38:12 PM: The last ones for today.
We found some amazing plants Andosace by the square meter coming down through the grass and screes
But the best plant for this day was the PINK FORM of Lilium sherriffii.
It has never been recorded before (that we can find) and the RBGE have not heard of it before.
It has all the same marking and measurments as the true brown/maroon species.
the picture I have put on is not a close up - sorry but you will either have to come to my Exhibition at the Explorers Garden next year or come to Martin Walsh's lecture at the 2011 International Conference
Title: Re: Bhutan 2010
Post by: Philippe on November 16, 2010, 07:47:10 PM: Very interesting and thank you for the pics.
Waiting for the rest ! ;)
Title: Re: Bhutan 2010
Post by: mark smyth on November 16, 2010, 08:05:07 PM: I hope it's not another 4 month wait to see more photos ;D
Title: Re: Bhutan 2010
Post by: fleurbleue on November 16, 2010, 09:13:45 PM: Amazing Lilium sherriffii ! Thanks for sharing pics with us ;)
Title: Re: Bhutan 2010
Post by: Julia on November 16, 2010, 09:28:07 PM: No Mark the next pic's will be tomorrow :)
Title: Re: Bhutan 2010
Post by: Julia on November 17, 2010, 10:45:24 AM: sorry missed this one off....
Title: Re: Bhutan 2010
Post by: Julia on November 17, 2010, 03:37:44 PM: We were lucky enough to see hundreds of Rheum nobile.
Some up to 6ft high through to new plants that will flower either next year or the year after.
Title: Re: Bhutan 2010
Post by: Julia on November 17, 2010, 03:51:10 PM: Just a few more plants today.
We were the first people to explorer this area in over 50 years the last known people were Ludlow and Sherriff
I hope you all like them.

Cypripedium tibeticum
Lilium sherriffii habitat
Lilium sherriffii
Saussurea gossypiphora
Saussurea gossypiphora
Title: Re: Bhutan 2010
Post by: TheOnionMan on November 17, 2010, 04:42:34 PM: Fantastic plants, from the Magnolia globosa, to those otherworldly Rheum and Saussurea, great photographs too!
Title: Re: Bhutan 2010
Post by: cohan on November 17, 2010, 09:10:36 PM: great stuff! the short stemmed cyp is cool, but really love the rheum and sauss! :o
Title: Re: Bhutan 2010
Post by: Luc Gilgemyn on November 17, 2010, 09:27:37 PM: Great report Julia !
Hope to see lots more !
Title: Re: Bhutan 2010
Post by: ashley on November 17, 2010, 10:01:06 PM: Wonderful to see Julia; many thanks. What part of Bhutan are they from?
The Rheum, Saussurea and L. sherriffii are magnificent :o

What role is saussurea 'fur' thought to play? Generating a warmer microclimate perhaps?
And what are the blue flowers in the background of your photograph?
Title: Re: Bhutan 2010
Post by: Lvandelft on November 17, 2010, 10:49:17 PM: Fantastic to see these plants Julia. The Rheum are not from this world 8) 8)
Thanks for taking the time to show your pictures. Hopefully lots more to come?
Title: Re: Bhutan 2010
Post by: Brian Ellis on November 17, 2010, 10:56:40 PM: I love to see the Rheum nobile, and what a good idea lifting the bracts (?) so we can see the flowers.
Title: Re: Bhutan 2010
Post by: Johan Nilson on November 27, 2010, 07:13:51 PM: Fantastic Julia,

That is a lot of great plants! It must have been quite amazing to find the PINK Lilium Sherriffii...
Enjoyed a lot seeing the pictures of Magnolia globosa and what a carpet of Androsace.. and the Cypripedium..

Thanks a lot for sharing!

ps. any talks in Sweden soon...
Title: Re: Bhutan 2010
Post by: Paul T on December 01, 2010, 12:28:11 AM: Excellent pics!! Just excellent! The Rheum look like aliens wearing little woolly hats. ;D Very strange! Some absolute beauties in there!! Thanks for showing us. 8)