March 2007

[Paddy Tobin]

Lesley,

I'm heart-broken over that news. I had really looked forward to those seeds. You know the phrase, like hen's teeth - it has been used a lot on this forum, so you will be familiar with it. Well, such it is with N. cuatrecassassi here. There was a whiff of an offer over the past few days and my heart lifted ever so slightly though really I held out no real hope. That hope, small as it was, was then dashed and I fell into the despair of one who  longs for plant and cannot find it.

There is only one resolution. I will have to eat cake - and guess who is going to have to bake it! Do you  think it will travel well from NZ?

Seriously though, there is in the back of my mind a little thought that I may have it in the glasshouse. I have a useless memory - my wife comments that I must be the  only man in Ireland who wakes up each morning, looks at his wife and asks, 'and what's your name?' So, I must go and have a good look. If my  mind is failing me again, I will be back to you in spring. Many thanks.

Re the asarum, I am not poking it with all sorts of fluffy things in hopes of it producing seed. Now that would be good.

Maggi, try Tulipa sprengeri. After that you will certainly try others.

Paddy

[Maggi Young]

We do have a few tulips. Paddy, though we have never got Tulipa sprengeri to naturalise for us for some reason. Our friend, Roma Fiddes,on the other hand, who lives about 20 or so miles away, has them growing like the proverbial weed! You wouldn't beleive the fantastic display she has, just wonderful. This year she has given me a huge packet of sprengeri seed so we're hoping that the seed of these genuine Aberdeenshire residents of Roma's will be happy to live with us!

[Luc Gilgemyn]

This is Saxifraga burseriana Major flowering in the garden.
Would the damage have been caused by slugs or by birds
Any idea somebody ?

[mark smyth]

looks like slug damage from when they were in bud

[Mark Griffiths]

Some tecophilaeas..I've had them for a little while now, all from single bulbs. Last year I had a big seed set so I was able to send some to seed lists and for the first time I've germinated some.

[Maggi Young]

Hi, Mark G: lovely "Tecos" You're way ahead of us, where do you live?

[Mark Griffiths]

Hi, just outside of Oxford. But I would add I try and keep the greenhouse at 5C minimum as I grow Cyclamen rohlfsianum and I want them to flower! One thing about the tecophilea is you can just about see a rogue type plant in with the violet form. It grows faster than the violet so the pan is getting more and more mixed..suggestions other than individually potting them up?

[hadacekf]

Luc,
It eats slugs or caterpillars at the blooms of the Saxifraga burseriana.
Mark,
Super plants, I never grow Tecophilaeas in my garden.
Tony,
The Sternbergia grew too long on the place. The soil is too hard and remains too wet to for a long time.

[Maggi Young]

Tony, sounds like good advice Franz is giving you about your sick Sternbergia.

Mark G, I think the only way to rogue out your interlopers from your pot of T. violaceae is to go into the pot as the flowers are passing over, but you can still see the colours, and fetch them out then. If you do this carefully you will not cause too much damage. Leave it too long and the more vigorous one will have made more offsets which might be more tricky to identify and remove. It shouldn't be too much of a problem, though, certainly nothing like as bad as trying to rogue out a rice-forming frit from a pot!!

[DaveM]

Just a few things flowering in the garden today.

First off Mandragora officionalis - more of botanical interest than anything and certainly not as good as the Chinese M caulescens. Has a large red fruit later.

First of my Rhodies - Rhododendron Ptarmigan
Polygala chamaebuxus - has been in flower for weeks, still some way to go
Corydalis malkensis - seeds its littel head off around the garden
Saxifraga juniperifolia

[Lesley Cox]

These are very nice Dave. I've always been interested in the mandrake because of its witchcraft associations (now that's got them worried, with all these cakes I make) and have often thought I'd like to grow it - the leaves are particularly attractive in your pic - but then I remember that if I wanted to dig it, I'd have to sacrifice the dog, poor darling.

The polygala is lovely. It's surprising how difficult it is here to get the lemon and white form rather than the much commoner purple and yellow, P. chamaebuxus `Grandiflora,' a good thing but it can be a bit of a thug.

[mark smyth]

here are a few Saxs from my troughs and crevice bed

[Maggi Young]

They're all looking good, Mark. There's something charming about Saxifragas and they are so happy in a trough that I really don't think there is any excuse for NOT having some!  And since they come in easy, tricky and downright difficult varieties, there is something to please every sort of grower. At the risk of appearing to be in the pay of Malcolm McGregor or Beryl Bland, I urge you all, have more Sax !

[ian mcenery]

No sax please we are British

Here are Bergenia ciliata Pat Furness from Ian of the Christie kind

Iris unguicularis x cretensis not as good as usual this year

and my first (well nearly) Erythronium in flower

[Maggi Young]

1)Super Bergenia named for a much-missed lady.
2)If I had that Iris flowering likethat I'd be ecstatic, you lucky man!
3) You'll make the BD jealous, only some leaves showing a tiny bud here so far. A few days sun will speed things on a bit. It was bright today, but I was out most of the day and only briefly outside to the glasshouse so maybe there has been a huge leap forward ? We'll see tomorrow!