First flowers

[Alex]

A few of the first flowers of the year from the greenhouse today...Corydalis popovii and Fritillaria striata

[maggiepie]

Oh, I love the Fritillaria striata, it's beautful.

[Alex]

Wish it would offset! It hasn't put put so much as a rice grain in 4 years of flowering. It is still one of my favourites though

[johnw]

A few of the first flowers of the year from the greenhouse today...Corydalis popovii and Fritillaria striata

Alex - Is that an automatic vent or window opener in the rear?  Can you tell us about it or photograph it sometime?

A lovely Corydalis by the way.

johnw

[Alex]

Hello John,

No, it's not an automatic vent (although that would be rather fun), just a window opener. The single long window stretches the length of this section of the greenhouse (3m or so) and is held by 3 arms like the one you can see in the background, all attached to a long static horizontal pole. It opens quite wide and give decent ventilation, but I think for optimal performance louvred windows would probably be better.

Alex

[johnw]

Hello John,

No, it's not an automatic vent (although that would be rather fun), just a window opener. The single long window stretches the length of this section of the greenhouse (3m or so) and is held by 3 arms like the one you can see in the background, all attached to a long static horizontal pole. It opens quite wide and give decent ventilation, but I think for optimal performance louvred windows would probably be better.

Alex

Thanks Alex.  A mighty fine looking window opener it is.  My next greenhouse will certainly have more ventilation but louvres are pretty much out of the question as everything must be double or triple glazed in this climate.  I haven't seen double glazed louvres about.

johnw

[Janis Ruksans]

A few of the first flowers of the year from the greenhouse today...Corydalis popovii and Fritillaria striata

Excellent F. striata. Thanks for showing this beauty, never before seen by me so perfectly blooming.
Janis

[Hendrik Van Bogaert]

A few of the first flowers of the year from the greenhouse today...Corydalis popovii and Fritillaria striata

Excellent F. striata. Thanks for showing this beauty, never before seen by me so perfectly blooming.
Janis

Indeed, very nice striata Alex.
Janis, thank you for your catalogue. For long time I'm searched Fritillaria chitralensis and now find it in your new catalogue. Not cheap, but I never saw it as well as many other species offered by you this year.
I recommend to any frit lover ask him copy by internet. His e-mail address janis.bulb@hawk.lv
Hendrik

 

 

[Alex]

Thank you, Janis and others - very kind! The striata scape lengthens as the flowers age over the next few weeks as illustrated in this thread from last year:

http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=3128.msg77736#msg77736

The scent is also powerful.

Alex

[Alex]

Things are developing fast in this plunge, mainly Junos and Corydalis. Also here's C. popovii a bit more advanced.

Alex

[Alex]

Couldn't think of anywhere else to post this - Gymnospermium albertii - a nice plant but always sheds its petals all over everything around it.

[mark smyth]

Can Gymnospermium albertii grow outside?

[Alex]

Well, on the basis of my own n=1, uncontrolled trial conducted in a raised bed I'd say no - but others may disagree.

[TheOnionMan]

Can Gymnospermium albertii grow outside?

My guess is YES.  G. altaica has been hardy outside for years in my garden:
  http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/index.php/Gymnospermium

In that link, there's a photo of G. albertii too, taken by recent SRGC member ArnoldT, who gardens in New Jersey, USA.  Maybe he can tell us if he grows it outdoors.

[Sinchets]

We had this discussion last year and yes they can grow outside. I grew Gymnospermium and Bongardia outside in the UK and grow them outside here. Gymnospermium are found in Romania and Albania as well as Greece according to recent finds so don't be fooled by the thought of 'altaicum'