January 2009

[Miriam]

Glad you like these photos
A photo dedicated to you all:

[mark smyth]

I tried this once photographing Roas 'Canary Bird' through a rain drop. I cant find it

[Hans A.]

Miriam, thanks for showing this wonderful artistic pictures!

[mark smyth]

Here is my Daphne 'Jacqueline Postill' taken today. It amazing what a year came make of a plants that was dying. I have had this plant about 6 years now and foolishly allowed the root stock to grow and flower. At least one person got seeds. Within weeks of me removing the root stock growths buds appeared all over 'Jacqueline' including 'inside' the bush. They produced all the new growth that is at the top of the photo. Roll on 2010!

[Onion]

Mark
can you tell us, what species 'Jacqueline Postill' belongs too? Or is it a hybrid?

[mark smyth]

D. bohlua bholua. I'm never sure of the exact spelling

[Maggi Young]

There is an article in the February issue of "The Garden", the magazine of the RHS by Roy Lancaster ( one of my favourite plantsmen) on  selections of Daphne bholua whcih he calls the "Himalayan Perfumier".

 Uli, let me know if you'd  like to read it and tomorrow I'll copy it for you.

[Gerhard Raschun]

Dear Miriam: superb picts, my favourite is the pict with roses !

here are some more plants from my glasshouse:

especially Corydalis kamelinii is a surprise, flowering for the first time and it schould be correct 


Corydalis kamelinii
 Corydalis henrikii
 Iris stenophylla bud
 Iris rosenbachiana Tovil Dara

[David Nicholson]

Lovely pictures Gerhard, the Iris rosenbachiana is a real stunner. If you have the time would you mind re-posting it please on the Juno thread so that they may be kept together.
edit by M: I'll do that now, David.

[mark smyth]

Quite a good Daphne article Maggi. My plant drops all it's leaves but Roy says bholua var gracialis 'Gurkha' is deciduous.

[Onion]

Thanks Maggi for the offer, but whit these species, to tricky for us.
Cultivated in the nursery I work, some years ago, but all lost in a mild, rainy autumn (That's our main problem to the last years).
It is good to hear Roy Lancaster does a good job. Meet him in 2005 and was surprised on "his" way of talking about plants.

[Maggi Young]

Yes, Uli, I know...... "mild, rainy autumn" is death to many plants, almost as manyas mild ,rainy summer! 

[mark smyth]

Robin White also says 'Gurkha' isnt evergreen.

[Paddy Tobin]

Mark,

Daphne bholua 'Jacqueline Postill' must surely be one of the very best winter shrubs. It perfumes the garden for, what appears, miles around. I have often wished to propagate it from suckers - something it does with abandon - but I think I would have to ask some of our friends in the southern hemisphere to see if there are any roots on them as they go down into the ground forever but don't usually have roots. I have the ordinary Daphne bholua in the garden also and it has the most fabulous perfume also and this came from a sucker from Keith Lamb, treasured for this as well as its intrinsic qualities.

Yours seems a lovely shrub and will certainly continue to give great pleasure as it grows quite quickly. Apparently, they have the reputation of dying off suddenly after growing well for many years. I wonder if the suckers would take over in this situation?

Michael Campbell please comment. I'm sure Michael grows this larger daphne as well as the many small ones he so likes. By the way, Michael, the white Daphne mezerium which arose as a chance seedling in my garden continues to thrive and is in flower now though I don't think the flowers are particularly good but then the ordinary D. mezerium is hardly spectacular anyway.


The various sarcococca species are wonderful at the moment also, great scent on small flowers.


Paddy

[mark smyth]

Margaret Glynn's huge D. bholua is now starting to sucker and like you just said they go down forever and well removed they have no roots. One of her's did root and is now doing well. Mine plant has never suckered