Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
Plant Identification => Plant Identification Questions and Answers => Topic started by: David King on August 01, 2012, 10:02:52 AM
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Visited Beth Chatto's garden yesterday and saw this growing in one of the ponds. Anyone know what it is?
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No idea! Very elegant isn't it?
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Pickerel?
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Oh! The American plant, Pontederia cordata ? Didn't twig that without the fully developed flower spike. :-[ I didn't know they came from those lovely bracts.
The first of my lessons for today. :) 8)
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Cheers Maggi, we were quite taken by it. Trust Beth Chatto to have plants we don't know!
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Pickled what ??? ;D
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Pontederia cordata:are you quite sure?I just went to the garden to have a look and they don't look like the picture.Also the top of the leaves of those in the garden are a bit more rounded.
May be another sp of Pontederia?
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I suppose it's Thalia dealbata.
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Thomas, you are correct I think. Googling Thalia dealbata Beth Chatto Gardens gets a picture of it exactly where we saw it. Many thanks ;D
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Well done, John and Thomas...... close observation skills to the fore!
http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?enlarge=0000+0000+0105+0472 (http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?enlarge=0000+0000+0105+0472) for the Pontederia
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/womanshour/gallery/2008_53_mon.shtml?select=02 (http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/womanshour/gallery/2008_53_mon.shtml?select=02) for the Thalia
Busy day for lessons this! :D
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Definitely Thalia dealbata. If you intend to grow it, bear in mind that it is similar to a Canna if it gets going happily and can increase quite healthily. I've heard it called a blue water canna, but that was quite a few years ago. I never did get one because I didn't have the space for it. Pontederia is another that can take off prolifically if you aren't watching it closely. ;) Lovely blue flowers though. I do still grow a white species of Pontederia, but I had to get rid of the blue after one piece was approaching a metre wide after 18 months and attempting to take over my pond. I would still like to grow the Thalia one of these years, if I can manage to get some acreage somewhere (not likely to happen soon unfortunately! ::)).
So good to see you got an answer so quick, David. Isn't this forum just brilliant!! 8)
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So good to see you got an answer so quick, David. Isn't this forum just brilliant!! 8)
Amazing. Where else could you do it?
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How hardy is Thalia dealbata?
On the site of a nursery:frost hardy
On the site of th RHS:H1 greenhouse
Who is right?
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How hardy is Thalia dealbata?
On the site of a nursery:frost hardy
On the site of th RHS:H1 greenhouse
Who is right?
I don't know who is right but at Beth Chatto's garden there are several large clumps in the ponds and I cannot imagine that they are removed each year and therefore must stay in the water. They may of course have some in pots just in case.
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From the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh living collection database, it seems to live in a glasshouse. :-\
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Beth Chatto is quite close to the North Sea (only about 5 miles) and, of course a lot more Southerly ;D Whether this would be enough to enable it to overwinter would be interesting to know.
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It is a water Canna. It survives zone 6 winters here. I just reacquired it when I restarted my small pond this spring. Had one for 5 years before letting the pond stagnate for 3 years. Thru the tag away so can't give specifics. Got seed off it one year, now where did I put that ???
John B
Visited Beth Chatto's garden yesterday and saw this growing in one of the ponds. Anyone know what it is?
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At Beth Chatto are the plants growing in the pound or in a border?
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At Beth Chatto are the plants growing in the pound or in a border?
In the pond. Will put up some more photos later.
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2 acres waiting here for you Paul. :)
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Ah but Lesley, I doubt you're going to give me the place. It's the money side of things that is the reason I don't have acreage already. ;)
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In the pond. Will put up some more photos later.
Got a reply from Ian Parker at the Beth Chatto Gardens about the Thalia :
"It has been hardy here for us for about 7 years, including the last two cold winters.
They are planted about 2 feet deep in the water and have no other protection.
Looking fabulous at the moment."
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Thanks Maggi, he was certainly right in the last sentence ;)
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Wow two feet deep!Quite more than for a Pontederia!Thank you Maggi.