December 2014 in the Southern Hemisphere

[Hillview croconut]

Hi Lesley,

Crocus scardicus is rarely collected (seed). It grows in Albania and I think Janis and Kurt found it in FYROM when looking for that new, and  unpronounceable white spring crocus.
Occasionally Pilous has offered it and 3 years ago Pavelka (Euro Seeds) had good viable seed for sale. Its a late snow melt species so you got to be around at a late stage in the season to collect it so more amenable to collectors of perennials. Other ways? Draw your own conclusions.

Its a very jewel-like bicolor but being late its hard to flower Down Under. Maybe you would have the best shot but alas mine haven't set seed and the quaratine gate is now SHUT! You need to ask Maggi I think they might grow it.

Its hard to maintain difficult microclimates when the odds are stacked,  ask Otto and I re oncos. I guess if the goal is worth it then for a while there's commitment. You know those two Tasmanian high alpines, Geum talboltianum and Isophysis tasmanica? Most people in Tasmania could not grow them. They'd be better off in Scotland. The only person I know who grew them OK was old Essie Huxley and she did it with neglect! Few handfuls of compost and out behind the water tank. She'd pull em out to show people and plonk them back, she was always pulling things out of wierd places!

I admired her derring do!

cheers, Marcus

[Anthony Darby]

Went to a fresh food shop ("Farro Fresh") to buy a pie for tomorrow and picked up this Disa uniflora for NZ$19.99. 

[ashley]

Like lots of people here I'd dearly like to try Crocus scardicus from seed but haven't found a source yet. 

Thanks for this great anecdote Marcus.  Galanthus 'Essie Huxley' is about to flower here but I know practically nothing about the person it celebrates.  Can you tell us more please?

[Anthony Darby]

Here's a memory from 2014.
ɹǝpu∩ uʍop ɯoɹɟ ɹɐǝʎ ʍǝN ʎddɐH

[Maggi Young]

Like lots of people here I'd dearly like to try Crocus scardicus from seed but haven't found a source yet. 

Thanks for this great anecdote Marcus.  Galanthus 'Essie Huxley' is about to flower here but I know practically nothing about the person it celebrates.  Can you tell us more please?

Ironically, it was in January of 2008 that Essie Huxley died - so nearly seven years since she passed away. The news was broken to me by Derek Bacon, an old English  friend of hers http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=1117.msg28718#msg28718

The dear lady has been mentioned often in the forum as being one of the foremost plants people of Tasmania - She is clearly still sadly missed by many -thank goodness there are still many who are lucky enough to have plants from her in their gardens.   There will be "southerners" who will be better able to explain her significance.

[ashley]

Thanks Maggi, very interesting (& I should have searched before posting ) but perhaps we can hear more from those who knew her.

[Hillview croconut]

Hi Ashley,

I can corroborate.  She was a great old mate. My plant "Mum". I was very close to her for years. I didnt know about Derek Bacon's report. I wrote a long article about her here in an Australian journal, called 40 Degrees South but I cant recall the series no or year.
Her full story is truly heroic and she had two touches of luck. Her father gave her a seedling waratah from a bush walk which opened MANY doors and Ken Gillanders turned up one day and asked her to sell to him some of her clapped out raspberry farm so he could build a nursery. Ken is an old man now but in his day was the rare plantsman here in Australia and was a member and presenter at the AGS. I am not sure of the SRGC. He was also is a warm friend of Otto and probably Viv's?
In fact, I dont think I'll be speaking out of turn when I say Viv camped in Essies' paddock many years ago. How about that, waking up  surrounded by flowers!

I recently wrote the waratah story to Kurt Vickery because he was visiting Hilliers and it had a connection to that nursery. I'll see if I can't fish it out and post an edited, short version of it. If people don't mind another anecdote?

Cheers, Marcus

[Maggi Young]

It will be grand to hear more of Essie  - she deserves to be well -remembered.

And yes, Ken Gillanders is still a faithful SRGC member!

[Hillview croconut]

I'll pop it up as soon as I've had my beauty sleep!

Been out celebrating, it's nearly 2am. HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ANYONE WHO READS THIS!

Marcus

[Mini bulb lover]

Its a very jewel-like bicolor but being late its hard to flower Down Under.

Marcus - If only there was a purpose built, climate controlled alpine house in Tasmania or Victoria (with attached quarantine beds, of course).

Lesley - are there any alpine houses (like the one at Kew) in NZ?

[Hillview croconut]

Hi Jon,

Happy New Year, I'm still here!

It's a novelty plant. Lovely to have if you're a collector. One more piece to the puzzle, one less itch to scratch.

Pavelka might rouse himself again. Otto always asks me about "just" nipping over the border!

cheers, Marcus

[Anthony Darby]

Here are two more views of the floral house, plus one through the middle, and its reason for being there. Very sad.

[Lesley Cox]

Marcus - If only there was a purpose built, climate controlled alpine house in Tasmania or Victoria (with attached quarantine beds, of course).

Lesley - are there any alpine houses (like the one at Kew) in NZ?

The short answer, very short, is that NO there are not. One or two attempts have been made, at Dunedin Botanic gardens for instance, but not the genuine thing and if someone were to try dionysias in it, they would die immediately I should think. A couple of private people have alpine houses, so-called, but in reality I think they are greenhouses with extra glass panes removed when needed. If for no other reason, the big gardens won't go for such totally useless buildings because of their cost and because the bureaucracy are really only interested in natives and not especially alpines at that.