Reports from the 2nd International Czech Rock Garden Conference and Garden visits

[Tim Ingram]

Lesley - if you look on their website you will see a little comment appearing in the bottom right hand corner about CD's and if you click on it they have produced two CD's of their songs. I would love to go back sometime and see more of the country and the rock gardens and how Jiri's tufa garden is developing. It was a great experience and opportunity to meet so many gardeners from around the world - a real credit to those who organised it.

[fermi de Sousa]

Bring on the Third International Czech Rock Garden Conference!
 
cheers
fermi

[Lesley Cox]

Thanks for that Tim. I'm afraid I'm not very good at looking for information on websites, even here on the SRGC one. I usually go to a book or whatever. However, I WILL look at Marika's group's site and order something. I think their singing was just superb and exactly what was needed to lighten a very intense and full (but wonderful) programme of lectures. Yes Fermi, roll on the third, but alas I won't be able to go. 

[Maggi Young]

Those who attended the conference and garden visits or who have read and enjoyed these pages, will have seen pictures of the garden of  Jiří Papoušek - some pix from Ian Christie start here : https://www.srgc.org.uk/forum/index.php?topic=10484.msg276073#msg276073 - one of the most amazing thing in the garden was the alpine tunnel, with the most extraordinary tufa wall, which runs for around 12m along the side of the house.
Here is Ian C's picture of the wall in May 2013, not quite finished...


 and now Jiri has shown this picture of the tunnel as it is now - it  has doors  at each end now...


isn't it super? There must be Botanic gardens who would love to have this feature!

[David Nicholson]

Wow.

[astragalus]

Wouldlove to hear some construction details from Jiri.  Was cement used in the wall?

[Maggi Young]

Anne, Jiri has posted some more  photos  of the process on Facebook - I'll ask if I may copy them here.

[Maggi Young]

The wonderful Jiri has given his blessing ..

"Here is the journey, of the tufa tunnel.  Plants are there just for one year, they will need time, plus they are slower in tufa and I don't fertilise them. Not all dionysias are happy there, but I try. Wall is west oriented but shaded by house. After longer experience I will prepare lecture about it."
 









Dionysia afghanica in tufa tunnel
 

[ChrisB]

Maggi said there was a picture of the Paeonia tenuifolia that we all saw in a garden during the bus trip so I scrolled through this thread to find it.  Tim took the photo, thanks for posting Tim!  And scrolling through brought back some wonderful memories of the trip!

[Maggi Young]

This is Tim's picture of the garden with the wonderful Paeonia tenuifolia display
It's hard to judge from this shot just how wide an area they spread over. It was a breath-taking sight! We were just walking along the road, on our way to a nearby garden when we suddenly  passed this glorious display.


I only just realised that the name wasn't in Tim's  original  post so the search did not find it- I've edited Tim's original post now to remedy that.

[Maggi Young]

The KSP's May show has just begun - see a short video in the garden here :

May's Big Spring Flower Show 2015 / Velká jarní květnová výstava květin 2015    video by Jiří Cysař

[Susan]

Thank you for putting that on, Maggi.  It looks better weather than we had!

Susan

[Maggi Young]

It is my sad duty to advise of the death on 23rd October 2015  of Ota Vlasák, one of the many great Czech rock and alpine growers, who has died, aged 70 after a long illness.

 Ota had been ill for some time  but was determined in 2013 to meet visitors to his garden- even managing, having just come from treatment in hospital, to talk to visitors from the 2nd Czech Rock Garden Conference in his beautiful garden.
He was well-known, too, for his work with the famous Prague Alpine plant exhibitions.

Ota Vlasák will be sadly missed by his family and friends, to whom we extend our condolences.