Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
Seedy Subjects! => Seeds Wanted => Topic started by: Stephen Vella on May 19, 2011, 05:29:00 AM
-
Hello,
Does anyone grow these hybrids? Cant seem to find a source in the southern hemisphere.
keen for some seed, would like to exchange.
cheers
Stephen Vella
-
Stephen,
I grow a few of the north hybrids but they are pretty sterile as a group.
Also not the most vigorous lilies I've seen.
The RHS lily group has a few people that grow them.
They are sporadically offered in the UK by people such as Edrom.
I believe 'The lily garden' in the USA offers a few, will send abroad and has bred with Ariadne,
Regards,
David
-
David, I am reminded of similar comments between you and Martin Baxendale about the strentgh of these lilies ....From the Old Forum in 2006 ......
Martin :
Which Chris North lilies do you grow?
I grew all the original first-generation hybrids many years ago and championed them through my articles and photos for various gardening magazines, and I've always thought it a shame they've faded into relative obscurity. But then they weren't all terribly strong growers, especially the L. langkongense hybrids.
I still have some, but none romp away here except for reliable old L. 'Orestes', which is great if you like orang-red flowers (which I do!)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Monocotman:
hi here,
Martin,you're leaning against an open door there,with the North lilies.
I grow as many of them as I can get hold of, probably 10 or 12.I find the ones with the girls' names quite vigorous and increase well here. Of the first gerneration hybrids, I too have just Orestes, though I've tried to get hold of others.
Ariadne is the other of the older norths I have and after that there is Angela,Rosemary, Eileen,Bronwen,Karen, Iona etc then several un-named clones that just have number codes.They are very graceful downward facing lilies and a combination of all these look stunning growing and flowering together. I have lots of photos of these if you're interested.
There is still considerable interest in these clones and I have it on good authority that the complete set of norths will soon be available from one of the scottish nurseries !
David
Martin :
David, good news if there is a nursery going to be offering the full range of Chris North hybrids again. I bought my original first-generation bulbs from a Scottish grower - Highland Liliums, I think they were called. And now I know of only one nursery, Long Acre Nursery, that still carries a limited range in some seasons.
When the nursery starts listing them, can you please post the info on the forum?
I know a lot of lily-loving gardeners are still very keen on the North hybrids. It's just a shame Chris North didn't get a big grower interested so they'd have been more widely available and better known.
I really love those early langkongense hybrids with the classical names. Eros still just about does okay for me, Ariadne is a bit more difficult to please in my dry garden.
-
Maggi -thanks -you have a much better memory than myself!
My north hybrids have since moved house and are still there, though not exactly increasing quickly.
With the current dry springs I find the new oriental-trumpet hybrids much more adaptable.
The north hybrids are all clonal and with the best will in the world you know what happens to lilies when they come into contact with aphids
over several seasons,
David
-
I remember quite a lot of folks who were growing the North Lilies, "back in the day".... but none of them are now!
-
Stephen,
I happen to know that some North hybrids were imported about seven/eight years ago - I saw them in flower whilst in a private quarantine facility. They were brought in for someone in Victoria who runs a nursery.
-
Maggie and David thanks for that information. David from your experiance it sounds like you had some success with these showing vigour and increased for you. Like everything old hybrids are being over run by something new like the oriental and trumpet hybrids and I do grow them, amazingly large and very scented but I have never seen the turks cap types (asiatic hybrids) with so many flowers on a candleabra arrangement here in Australia.
Ive seen the "Lily garden" web site and they still offer a few..I may just import some..
You mention they are sterile as a group but will they cross with each other? I know they wont be the same but hopfully they will be turks cap types.
And do you know what the original cross may have been, with another species. I may just do it my self. L langkongense x ?.
cheers
Stephen
-
And do you know what the original cross may have been, with another species. I may just do it my self. L langkongense x ?
North's work with langkongense involved davidii as the other parent mainly, with subsequent crosses bringing in asiatic hybrids either in the F2 or in fresh F1 crosses. All plants from the crosses were the result of embryo rescue; even today langkongense doesn't seem to have produced many hybrids directly. There used to be a website with some interesting articles (chrisnorthlilies.org), but this seems to have disappeared.
-
I'm not sure what has happened to the special website for the North Lilies... it is a shame if it is gone forever.
The following may be of some help....
http://www.rhslilygroup.org/RHS_LilyYrbk_1512.pdf
http://www.rhslilygroup.org/newsletter-W10.pdf
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1497632/Christopher-North.html
and here is a pdf from an old SRGC Journal of Chris North's article on "Lilies by Embryo Culture"...
[attach=1]
-
Just been trying to find the articles from chrisnorthlilies on the waybackmachine, but some of them don't seem to be there.
-
http://www.scri.ac.uk/news/northlilies
http://www.hutton.ac.uk/learning-resources/image-galleries/north-lilies ten photos
North Lilies atre also known as the Mylnefield lilies and it seems the Holder of the National Collection is
the National Trust for Scotland, at Branklyn Garden, Perth. I didn't know that.... or if I did, I had forgotten!
-
Thanks Rob and Maggi,
Ive read the articles thanks and they have been helpful and I have managed to come in contact with a person that holds a collection in the U.K. So Im in the process of seeing if importation of bulbs would be worth while.
thanks for the help
cheers
Stephen
-
Good luck with the importation. It would be nice to see them in Australia. One hope things like this (http://mygarden.rhs.org.uk/blogs/graham_rice/archive/2011/05/18/lilium-lankon-new-from-h-w-hyde.aspx) will also appear in time.
-
realy nice rob..interesting cross...thanks for the link
cheers