November in the Northern Hemisphere

[johnw]

Nice ochroleucus there Gabriela.  A local tried to find it here to no avail but got some at Botanus and now the experts say it's cartwrightianus 'Alba'.

Driving home this morning I passed a bed of Begonias in full flower, I was so dazed by the sight it took a minute to realize they weren't trash. Next block a bed of blue campanulas. Bizarre, even the frost-sensitive succulents and Eucalyptus are untouched.

Tuesday night the airport - 40km inland - got 20cm of wet snow and many still without power, we were lucky to get rain instead. Now another storm haas struck and it's blowing a gale out there, raining horizontal stair rods.

john

[David Nicholson]

aren't all stair rods horizontal      

[johnw]

aren't all stair rods horizontal      

Not necessarily.  Do realize Escher's relatives lived not too far from Halifax.......I kid you not.

His son in Mahone Bay, NS gave this to the Nat. Gallery in Ottawa.

M.C. Escher – Relativity

David - you lay the carpet runners and I'll take care of the stair rods.

john

[Gabriela]

Robert -
It wasn't too bad and in any case there is also Scabiosa caucasica still in flower, it has become a sort of curiosity at this point....

Trond - you should try at least C. speciosus, it's very easy-going 

[Gabriela]

Nice ochroleucus there Gabriela.  A local tried to find it here to no avail but got some at Botanus and now the experts say it's cartwrightianus 'Alba'.

Driving home this morning I passed a bed of Begonias in full flower, I was so dazed by the sight it took a minute to realize they weren't trash. Next block a bed of blue campanulas. Bizarre, even the frost-sensitive succulents and Eucalyptus are untouched.
Tuesday night the airport - 40km inland - got 20cm of wet snow and many still without power, we were lucky to get rain instead. Now another storm haas struck and it's blowing a gale out there, raining horizontal stair rods.
john

All is relative regarding plants and weather, isn't it?

Two kind and energetic women from ORGS are organizing group orders from a wholesaler (Van Noort) and this way sometimes you can get things that don't show up at the garden centers.
Now that you mentioned C. cartwrightianus 'Alba', I may also have it although I don't remember buying such thing. Took a picture yesterday and was wondering - it's this one?

[johnw]

Gabriela  - Here is the Crocus someone bought at Botanus as C. ochroleucus.  I sent the poicture to Wim who replied "Hi John, not really sure what she has there, but not ochroleucus. If I had to guess, I’d say that one is Crocus cartwrightianus ‘Albus’. C. ochroleucus has a yellow throat, white stamens and yellow pistils."  I very much doubt anyone in Canada sells seed-grown crocus spp., true or otherwise, everything comes from Vanhof & Blokker, Ruigrok and Van Noort (and occasionally a nursery on Long Island, NY) all of which have been plagued with mis-labelling for the decades I was in the business.


john

[Gabriela]

Thanks John. You are very right, must be lucky to get what it says on the label, not to mention the quality sometimes...With Iris reticulata cv. I had good experience from Vanhof & Blokker.

I looked on my list and I asked for C. carcartwrightianus, but not 'Alba'; I like it, not a problem just that it would be good to get what you pay for. At least I got the ochroleucus. I will put some labels not to cut through them in the summer, as per my usual habit (so I can send you a couple of bulbs

[johnw]

Funny but not so funny we bought some C. cartwrightianus this past August and got a big blowsy cartwrighianus hybrid.  The garden centre's only suppliers are Ruigrok and Vanhof but pretty sure they came from the latter as the shipment was early.


john