Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
General Subjects => Flowers and Foliage Now => Topic started by: Lesley Cox on January 01, 2012, 10:56:33 PM
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January 2nd already and no-one has started something here? :o :o :o
I visited the Clive Lister Garden at Dunedin Botanic Gardens yesterday. This is my favourite part of the gardens and I try to get there several times through the year. But things were mostly past their best with a slightly tatty look, especially the hostas, usually magnificent. I had hoped to see irises and arisaemas in flower but there was hardly a single iris and only a solitary A. tortuosum. The irises were showing no sign of having flowered at all and nor was the usually very good Ligularia. The arisaemas had all flowered well and there were many dozens of seed heads maturing slowly. I took fewer pictures than usual as a result. Here are a few. For reasons I don't know, my computer will only let me upload one at a time or else I get a screen saying Data Base error, server has gone away and some other stuff. So it will be a slow upload, with modifications for each pic.
Arisaema tortuosum
White Rogersia
Chalet and pond
Our native Cape Reinga lily, Arthropodium cirrhatum
Ligularia 'Britt-Marie Crawford,' silver-grey in the sun rather than its usual deep brown
Seed head on Arisaema nepenthoides which for some reason they have labelled as A. exappendiculatum. Must tell someone about this. Must also see if I can nabble some seed a bit later.
And to finish, 3 pictures of the stunning Podophyllum 'Spotty Dotty.' Three because I just can't help myself. :)
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The Podophyllum was in flower with dozens of stems of its gorgeous red blooms hanging under the leaves and I tried to phoptograph them but needed an extra hand to hold the camera, the leaves out of the way and the flowers in a position for photographing so it didn't happen but when I got back into my car I carried with me, a rich and horrible scent which had been around the garden and I hadn't realized was the flowers of the Podophyllum, through having handled the flowered quite a bit. I checked my own small plant when I got home and there it was. Revolting - sweet and heavily cloying. Because the plant is sterile and no seed is set, the flowers last a very long time.
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These are great pictures! It's wonderful to see such beautiful foliage when the days are dark here right now.
The Ligularia 'Britt-Marie Crawford' makes me smile. I have this one in my garden and if I don't deadhead it, it self-sows seeds all over... It's nice when your backyard is as big as a park, but I have limited space... :'(
Podophyllum 'Spotty Dotty' is gorgeous! I was thinking about getting this one for a while but I have been debating between it and P. kaleidoscope... I saw some hybrid Podophyllums with pretty leaf markings and white flowers for sale on a Japanese site, but their price was a bit dear for me. :)
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The Ligularia SHOULD be in flower, don't know why not unless it was earlier (but it's only mid summer) and has been dead headed already. I have P. 'Kaleidoscope too but so far, can see no difference between the two.
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I took these pics before Christmas but hadn't been able to download them till yesterday, so I'll post them now.
The rain-liies loved the downpour we got a few days before.
Habranthus martiniezii
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Habranthus robustus
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and a double-header!
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Zephyranthes primulina
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cheers
fermi
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Some more:
Habranthus robustus x H. martinezii, a commercial form bought many years ago and nicely bulked up
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My re-creation of the cross using H. robustus "Russell Manning" and H. martinezii
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Habranthus tubispathus
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Habranthus robustus "Russell Manning"
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cheers
fermi
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Fermi, the double header H. robustus has been given the invented name "Habranthus biflorus".
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Iris illyrica - if it is correct
Calochortus fimbriatus has flowered all through the heatwave last week.
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According to the BIS Alphabetical table, I. illyrica is a synonym of I. pallida. Yours looks nicer than that Pat or at least a better colour. I like pallida but it always looks a bit hang-dog to me. I also grow the argenteo-variegata foliage form and actually cut off the flower stems before they open.
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I guess the argenteo-variegata form does not grow from seed Lesley. Haven't seen it here but I am sure Fermi could tell me if it is.
Reading the BIS iris "bible" illyrica can have lots of difference. I personally love the hang dog look and most pallidas seem finer formed in stems than this low flowering one but it may have been an oddbod seeing it flowered now.
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Thought people might enjoy the colours of the Claremont Lilium Show on the weekend.
The final pic is one in a category "For Men Only"
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Sorry.
this is the one from "FOR MEN ONLY" category
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Not sure about the last one, but there are certainly some beautiful lilies there John.
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Doesn't seem to be much happening in the SH this summer, last post 10 days ago. I took this, this morning of the Mt Etna Broom Genista aetnensis which I've had a yen for ever since reading Vita Sackville-West's Observer collections many year ago. I think I grew this from seed and it makes plenty. It's about 3 metres high and 4 wide now and scents the whole place with a sort of fruit salad perfume. Ignore the long grass and blackberry. :-[
I also meant to photograph our native coral broom Chordospartium stevensonii, in flower for the first time, a plant I bought a few years ago at a local OAGG meeting. It's about 1.3 metres high and weeping nicely but the rain of the last two days has wrecked the flowers, bunches of little, pale lilac pea-type flowers. No scent that I can detect. Maybe David L has a picture. He bought one at the same meeting.
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Things have definitely been a bit quiet here!
Some liliums in the garden:
"Black Beauty"
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"Starfighter"
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"Sumatra"
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A rather faded Zephyranthes flavissima (well it did open 2 days previously!)
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Urginea maritima
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cheers
fermi
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Fermi - I've not tried to grow Urginea, and don't know how many gardeners have in the UK, but its very striking. I did try Pancratium maritimum but I think it missed its native sand! I should try it again now I am experimenting with sand beds. Eremurus have always been favourite plants of mine, and these would like similar conditions.(Suddenly a new garden bed beckons!!).
Lesley - I do like the genista; we also have quite a large plant of this now and it really brings a touch of the Mediterranean to the garden (and there is a wonderful specimen at Beth Chattos, up near to her house). The Chordospartium holds memories because I bought this as a dead looking twig from Graham Hutchins very many years ago. Now it has made a nice weeping shrub. Graham advised me to water it well to get good flowering, which did seem to work, but it must be a lot more striking in the wild. His nursery is a wonderland of weird New Zealand oddities (plants that is!).
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I'm pleased you like the Genista Tim. I think it is a gorgeous thing, especially with the wonderful perfume. I've not seen it in any other NZ garden though I did sell a few plants maybe 10 years ago, from seed. They must be around somewhere. While my Chordospartium is still a youngster, I had a friend, no longer alive who had a magnificent tree of it, maybe 15 ft high so perhaps at its full limit and she had a couple of adventitious seedlings of large-flowered lavender-coloured clematis growing up it, all in flower at the same time, a real sight for sore - and amazed - eyes. Maybe I'll try that in a few years.
I like the pea family in general in all its manifestations and was thrilled last Thursday when visiting a friend in Canterbury to find a couple of climbers I didn't know. They were in seed rather than flower and she gave me some pods, fully formed but not ripe so I hope the seeds will germinate when released from the pods. Also she had both in flower and in seed the annual called Lathyrus 'Pink Cupid' but also known here as "Bunty's Pea" from Bunty Roy who administered the NZAGS (then Canterbury AGS) seedlist for many years. It is your typical sweet pea, appropriately scented but on very short stems, the whole plant prostrate, maybe only 15cms in full flower and making mats about 50cms wide. As a bonus, Betty had another the same except for colour, a lovely lipstick crimson. I've brought home seed of both those two, as well as pieces from many other things. That part, the visit to Betty Clark was a wonderful oasis in a day which in every other way possible was a day from hell. (Don't ask!)
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Since there was no seed on it, I also brought home a bunch of branchlets of the Pineapple Broom, Cytisus battandieri and have made some cuttings. Maybe they will, maybe not, but we thought it was worth the try. And I was delighted to see Betty still has a number of seedlings in her garden of Lord Anson's Blue Pea, L. nervosus of which I have just one and scruffy at that. I thought I'd lost it for about 3 years then suddenly a seedling appeared in a place where 6 metres of soil from an outside source had been dumped so how that happened I can't imagine but I'm grateful. L nervosus was sent to NZ years ago to another friend who had a correspondence going with Graham Stuart Thomas, so there are nice associations there. Besides it is wonderfully beautiful. Unfortunately I have lost altogether L. splendens and I don't think it can be replaced - anywhere!
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Lesley - I grew Lathyrus sativus azureus last year and it was a star for all who saw it. Not very fragrant but very striking.
As it's not in the S/hemisphere here is a link to a few pics I put on Picasa.............
https://picasaweb.google.com/112827306672560538333/LathyrusSativusAzureus
I do have seeds, but not sure that I can send them to NZ......
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Lesley, the L. nervosus is absolutely beautiful.
Does it flower first year?
I just found a place that has seeds.
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Meanie, that is a lovely species all right. I think it must be in the Southern hemisphere becasue it is listed on our Biosecurity Index. I don't have it myself though. If it's listed, it is presumed to be here as the original Index was made from plants already in the country.
Helen L. nervosus takes two years to flower. It is fully perennial and grows from a central stock, the stems radiating out from the middle to about a metre. Or it can be grown as a climber as well to about 1 to 1.5 metres. When it lies on the ground the flower stems sit upright like candles. The stems die back after flowering and seeding and are replaced by new ones. I don't recall that it ever died down completely, there always seemed to be some stems on the way. As I said, I have just one plant now which I'm trying to nurture but when we lived in our previous garden I had a whole fenceline at the front of our place, right on State Highway 1 and though it climbed on the fence, the seedlings also flowered in the road gravel at the base. We were in a sort of little layby where big trucks pulled in for the drivers to have their lunch or cuppa and I often had brawny men come up to the door to ask what that magnificent plant was. Many took away seed. I've no idea whether they were gardeners or not. L. nervosus is fragrant but not like sweet peas, more what I think of as a cosmetic type of scent, quite pleasant. If you have a chance to set seeds, go for it. It's on our bio Index and I'd welcome a chance for some more seed, so where from please?
Did the Clematis seed arrive?
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Lesley, do you think it possible that nervosus could be hardy for me?
10 seeds plus postage would be 6pounds to here, wouldn't want to throw that away on seeds that don't have a hope of surviving.
Here's a link to the seeds.
http://www.sweetpea-seed.com/species/lathyrus%20nervosus.html
Sorry, forgot to answer you, seeds have not arrived yet, maybe tomorrow. :)
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One of the best things about it is that it is not one of the over-vigorous ones! One of the dropped seeds germinated last November and despite being just 80mm high is still looking perky with no winter protection.
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Helen do you grow Lathyrus laxiflorus,it is a fantastic small pea and survived -15c here last year.
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David, no, don't grow it.
Last year I germinated some L. vernus, an alba and albaroseus.
Those are the only ones I have tried.
Am hoping they get through winter and flower this year. Think the seeds were from SRGC or AGS.
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David, no, don't grow it.
Last year I germinated some L. vernus, an alba and albaroseus.
Those are the only ones I have tried.
Am hoping they get through winter and flower this year. Think the seeds were from SRGC or AGS.
I still might have some seed, if i can find them, i will send them,thanks for the Bishops Crown it arrived today ;D
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That would be great!
Thanks, David.
Almost hopeful that the postal service might be improving.
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So many questions. Helen I think L. nervosus may not be fully hardy with you but if you could grow it in a large pot and bring it in, or maybe on a fence and stuff bracken or similar around the crown, it might be OK. I'm surprised that the link says 18 weeks from germination to first flower but of course I've not tried it under glass. The price for 10 seeds seems very expensive especially when I was harvesting half a cupful at a time at one stage. So far my one remaining hasn't set set though it flowers a couple of months ago. I'll talk to Betty and see if she can find some, but she's 90 now and I don't want to add to her work but she loves her plants so much and is among them all the time.
If Davey can't find L. laxiflorus, I can do that one, but again it may not be fully hardy with you. I believe it is a Mediterranean species but a real beauty, two-tone lavender. Mine is very hot at present and I see the foliage has turned red. Again, fully perennial. I sent a lot to the seedlists.
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Should have said, tho' you can see, that laxiflorus is prostrate, a low mound and here has filled a trough and drapes over the edges. I have it on the flat too.
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Lesley, your laxiflorus is lovely.
I can see I really need to have a go at making some troughs.
Bought a bag of cement 2 years ago and it is still sitting in the garage.
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Lesley, your laxiflorus is lovely.
I can see I really need to have a go at making some troughs.
Bought a bag of cement 2 years ago and it is still sitting in the garage.
Helen, hope your garage is dry or you will have nice addition to your rock garden ;)
BTW, Lathyrus nervosus has not survived outdoors here, I have tried twice. But I have plenty vernus if you need more seed.
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Bought a bag of cement 2 years ago and it is still sitting in the garage.
Helen, hope your garage is dry or you will have nice addition to your rock garden ;)
BTW, Lathyrus nervosus has not survived outdoors here, I have tried twice. But I have plenty vernus if you need more seed.
Eeeeek, Trond!!
The garage is dry but anything in there freezes. ( was -18C in there this morning)
Oh dear.
Thanks for the vernus offer, will let you know if my seedlings didn't make it.
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Doesn't feel particularly summery at present but we'll enjoy the respite while it lasts!
Already posted some pics of this but worth repeating,
Lycoris incarnata
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And the first of the "autumn" snowflakes, Acis autumnalis
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cheers
fermi
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The Acis is in flower here too along with Cyc. purpurascens (from Ashley A's seed) and a first colchicum. My yellow screen really MUST be replaced. The colour makes for horribly (or beautifully) misleading images. I Googled Salvia pomifera to see it's wonderful bracts as a rich terra cotta colour, and the reticulate irises in that thread are all magnificent shades of brown, tan and orangey-red. ???
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The dark form of Amaryllis belladonna (possibly a hybrid with Brunsvigia or Cybistetes) is now in bloom, only 4 spikes so far
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And Lycoris sprengeri has shot up an early spike with more to follow
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cheers
fermi
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I'm not sure that it's summer any longer. We've had a miserable one overall with very few really hot days and a lot of mist, drizzle and general nastiness though still very dry. Today however we are having a real downpour at last, here in the south. The North Island has had a lot more rain.
Great excitement here on Tuesday and yesterday as our local power company came to chop down the trees under our roadside power lines. They've been doing it along many roads, some people less happy about it than others. But all our trees were seedling eucalypts, Leyland cypress and Cupressus macrocarpa, a couple of feet high when we arrived but now up and through the lines so they had to go. We should have removed them years ago but with like much else here, procrastination is the order of the day.
The good thing about this removal is that the power co, Delta, cuts at their own expense the first time round. If they grow up again we will have to pay for it. Many people have had their trees trimmed to lower the height or keep branches off the roads but we have opted for cutting right down to ground level and will treat the remaining stumps to have them die gradually. My only slight regret was a 15 metre Azara which was ugly and untidy but had the wonderful vanilla scent for a week each spring. I went to get some cuttings but found instead, heaps of seed so will try that.
Big logs are stacked for future firewood and all the smaller stuff and rubbish went through a montrous mulching machine, leaving us with approx 20 cubic metres of chips. This they would take away if asked but we asked to keep it and I'll use it on my nusery and other paths as my current clean-up continues.
So I'm left with a border about 4-5 metres wide and 70 metres long. I don't know what Roger's plans might be but mine include lots of rhododendrons, maples and other small trees that will stay well below the lines and then a mass of trilliums, snowdrops (yes John) erythroniums and all kinds of other things that will enjoy the conditions which are quite acid and the soil is very loose and crumbly. There is no shade of course. The trees themselves gave me shade in my nursery area and I'll have to put shade cloth over the beds now but I can apply shade where ncessary. I can see (in my mind) mats of epigaea, Vaccinium praestans, Cornus canadensis, Polygonum affine 'Donald Lowndes' and many other things. Maybe I'm suffering from delusions of grandeur but this is the first time I have actually had planting space for all the cool soil plants I love so much. It will make its own shade in time with the maples etc.
Below, some pictures of the destruction. ;D
Pictures are not coming up so I'll try them again. >:(
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Still trying.
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So I'm left with a border about 4-5 metres wide and 70 metres long. I don't know what Roger's plans might be
more parking space? ???
;D
Hopefully you can fill in the space first!
cheers
fermi
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So I'm left with a border about 4-5 metres wide and 70 metres long. I don't know what Roger's plans might be
more parking space? ???
;D
Not a chance. He had to move a small red truck and that is now on what is laughingly called the front lawn (long grass). He also muttered the words "my golf course." I have the soap and water ready to wash out his mouth next time he opens it. ???
The scent of the chippings is incredible, especially today when it is raining steadily. Even as far up the road as the letter box (200 metres), the whole atmosphere smells of cut conifer. I like it but I'm not sure whether the neighbours do.