June 2013 in the Northern Hemisphere

[krisderaeymaeker]

Celmisia sessiliflora
Rhododendron lowndesii
Petunia patagonica

[ashley]

All great beauties Kris.

[johnw]

Kris  - Did you hear my scream from there?      R. lowndesii, one of the supremely difficult rhodo species to cultivate.  Can you tell us how to grow it?  I had three in a trough with plenty of crushed tufa in the upper reaches.  They got too dry one winter in the cold greenhouse and think they'd have preferred wintering inn an outdoor frame.

Any chance we could get a little pollen? 

johnw 

[arilnut]

Hi Kris.  may I ask what P. patagonica needs to bloom?
I have recently acquired a couple starts of it.

John B

Celmisia sessiliflora
Rhododendron lowndesii
Petunia patagonica

[arillady]

Trond,
I have seeds in the refrigerator at the moment of Rosa roxburghii from Mt Lofty Botanic Gardens as I love it as a plant, flower and especially the seed pods with their tropical scent. I have never come across a rose hip with such scent. If you ever have seed I would like to try them as I believe the seed pods can vary in colour from their source.

[Hoy]

Hi Pat,
I get loads of hips with viable seeds every fall. No problem sending you some, but they ripen late. Maybe I can still find some from last year. The hips are tough and take some time to disintegrate. Send me a PM with your address.

[krisderaeymaeker]

All great beauties Kris.

Thanks Ashley !

Kris  - Did you hear my scream from there?      R. lowndesii, one of the supremely difficult rhodo species to cultivate.  Can you tell us how to grow it?  I had three in a trough with plenty of crushed tufa in the upper reaches.  They got too dry one winter in the cold greenhouse and think they'd have preferred wintering inn an outdoor frame.
Any chance we could get a little pollen? 
johnw 

I heared something , didn't know it was you John. 
I must admit that I only grow it for two years now .So maybe a bit early for big celebrations ....I grow it in my peatbed . The space between the peatblocks is filled with a mix of leafmould (most of the content) ,peat ,smal part loam, finest bark we can get and also composted bark.
This tiny Rhodo get sun from the morning until midnoon . I think that he even get's to much sun on Sunny days .
We had a cool season so far (extremely cool for our situation) and maybe that's my luck for the moment ?
After the winter it looks terrible and I was afraid that I loose this beauty. But he survived and now I have two or three flowers .
Sent me a PM about the pollen John , so I can read what you exactly mean .So far it is not clear , but ofcourse I wil try to help ... 

[krisderaeymaeker]

Hi Kris.  may I ask what P. patagonica needs to bloom?
I have recently acquired a couple starts of it.
John B

Hi John , I wish I could  tell you .....but I suppose it is "coincidence".
First I have to remark that it is only flowering with 3 flowers ....so a modest flowering.We did see them flowering in Patagonie in 2008  and there the whole plant was covered with flowers . 
I think that the plants need a certain age/maturity . I have this plant about 3 or 4 years and I get it as smal cutting from a friend .I grow it in a clay pot that is plunged in a sandbed outside .From march until november (depending on weather conditions ) I grow it outside witouth cover .In  this conditions they stay compact (and get more ultraviolet /light ).In the glasshouse they grow to untidy for me .From november until the end of february this sandbed is covered against to much winter wet....Cold is no problem, the whole sandbed was frozen (frost minus 14 degrees )in previous winter. But to much rain is not good .I feed them in spring when I think of it .Maybe the key is a cool atumn/summer. Until now we had a very cool summer (and spring was very cool to)We had only two days with temperatures above 25 degrees . This is not a normal spring/summer for our situation...
But the Patagonian plants like such situations . They need plenty of fresh air , wind , breeze , as much light as possible but no heat ......I think that temperatures  above 25 degrees brings them in a stress situation.
Some people also  telling that several  clones are involved and that you  need the wright clone.
Hopefully future wil tel us .
Hope this is useful for you , wish you succes.

[Brian Ellis]

Back from the Royal Norfolk show where we had to arrive by 6.30 this morning so happy to pootle around in the garden this afternoon.  One or two things I was pleased with in the garden.  The Allium schubertii has put in an appearance after an absence of three or four years, I presume it was building the bulb up again to flowering size so a nice surprise to see it this year.  One of my favourites in the garden is this Bupleurum and I'm pleased to say that the Dactylorhiza have started, this is D. 'Edinburgh' form. 

[Brian Ellis]

Last year we picked this up from Long Acre Plants, Roscoea 'Harvington Evening Star' a real delight. In complete contrast, this Digitalis was the plant of the year at Chelsea last year, Digitalis 'Illumination Pink' a cross between our native foxglove and Isoplexis canariensis it is sterile and supposed to flower for six months and be perennial.  I wasn't brave enough to try it out of doors last winter!  A nice combination, this peony with Allium christopherii and lastly Alstoremeria 'Yellow Friendship'.

[Brian Ellis]

Flowering well is  Iris siberica 'Double Standards', this Iris germanica is from East Lambrook Manor, I'm not sure of the name so if anyone recognizes it I would be pleased to know and the last flower on I. 'Tabac Blond' as it is repeat flowering my fingers are crossed.

[TC]

Stretching the term flowering here !
On 25 DEC.2011 I posted a picture of a Christmas tree in the wilds of Ayrshire.  Today we came along the same remote road and to my surprise, the tree was still there with even more decorations.  It looks as if it has been "adopted" and is in great condition.  I hope it will last to maturity with increasing decorations added.

[krisderaeymaeker]

Remarkable Tom .

Here flowering in my tufagarden : Silene elisabethae .

[krisderaeymaeker]

Aster coloradensis .

[ranunculus]

Beautiful photo, Kris.