November 2013 in the northern hemisphere

[Tim Ingram]

Some autumn colours this November. Cornus controversa 'Variegata' doesn't really colour but is a year round beauty for its habit and variegated leaves. Next to it is Magnolia x loebneri 'Leonard Messel', which must be one of the very best varieties - relatively small and free and reliably flowering. The stakes beneath these delineate a rough grass area planted up with bulbs, which I hope to slowly develop as Brian Mathew describes in one of his books - gradually incorporating more and more species.

Mahonia gracilipes grows at the south end of the glasshouse, where it develops these rich autumn colours (though it is evergreen). A fascinating species with a silvery underside to the leaves and flowers of red and creamy-yellow. (This is nicely pictured in Daniel Hinckley's book 'The Explorer's Garden - Shrubs and Vines', taken in Roy Lancaster's garden who introduced it from Mt. Emei in Sichuan).

Unusually free flowering of Daphne retusa this autumn, perhaps as a result of the long dry summer and now long wet and relatively mild autumn?!

[johnralphcarpenter]

Love the Daphne.

[Roma]

Gentians still flowering about 10 days ago
Gentiana 'Saltire'
Gentiana 'Shot Silk'
Gentiana 'The Caley'

[Roma]

Trochocarpa thymifolia
Petrocoptis iodioides aff.

[Tim Ingram]

Roma - the Trochocarpa is really fascinating; saw this exhibited by Tim Lever at the autumn Rainham Show and must learn more about it.

[Maggi Young]

Trochocarpa thymifolia

I'm not sure whether  this little charmer is still listed as in Epacridaceae or simply Ericaceae - some more  here :

http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=6858.0

and  Rob K. gave this link for a key.....

thymifolia has leaves with stalks 1-2 mm long, blades 2-4 mm long, almost circular, slightly convex, with a blunt point.

Might be T. cunninghamii,  the leaves here are held in two alternate rows, arranged horizontally; narrow and oval-shaped but coming to a point and about 7-10 mm long.

Key for Trochocarpa: http://www.utas.edu.au/dicotkey/dicotkey/EPACRIDS/gTrochocarpa_1.htm

Trococarpa occur naturally through coastal and montane eastern Australian rainforests and mountain shrublands and in New Guinea, Borneo and Sulawesi.

I have a Trochocarpa thymifolia  (bought from Aberconwy!) growing in the garden in the wall of a raised bed - not seeing too many flowers though......

[Roma]

My Trochocarpa came from Ron McBeath in 2009.  It was flowering well in early 2011 when I took it to the Early Bulb Display at Dunblane in February.  It has been flowering off and on but this is the first time since then that it has flowered well.  It is kept in the cold frame and gets full sun in the summer and none at all in midwinter.  The lack of flowers may have been due to lack of water at times as it is a thirsty plant.

[David Sellars]

A spell of cold weather with freezing at night took all the remaining leaves off the Davidia involucrata leaving only the nuts hanging like Christmas ornaments.

[Brian Ellis]

Great picture David, made me smile

[Maggi Young]

A spell of cold weather with freezing at night took all the remaining leaves off the Davidia involucrata leaving only the nuts hanging like Christmas ornaments.

  How long will the nuts stay on the tree? I can imagine they would look very festive rimed with frost......

[David Sellars]

They would stay on the tree past Christmas but the squirrels get most of them. They chew off the fleshy outer coating and leave the hard nuts on the ground.  Some germinate in the mulch.

[Maggi Young]

Thank you David. I'd have thought  squirrels might have eaten fruit and seed.

[johnw]

They would stay on the tree past Christmas but the squirrels get most of them. They chew off the fleshy outer coating and leave the hard nuts on the ground.  Some germinate in the mulch.

I've heard only one of the two seeds per pod is viable. Wonder if that's true?

We are having a hell of a time establishing this tree here.  One thing we do know is that Davidia involucrata v. involcrata is hopelessly tender here and at the Arnold where was introduced to NA.  But var. vilmoriniana is thoroughly hardy in Boston at the Arnold.  It been disaster central here with the latter, we get it going and some idiot invariably whipper-snippers the bark off.  And worse the latter var. is not so easy to find as sources are in the west and they do not separate the vars.

Sorry David I just realized your in BC.  I've seenlings coming up at the entrance to the Ted & Mary Greig Garden, think Cook planted that one.

johnw

[Garden Prince]

I've heard only one of the two seeds per pod is viable. Wonder if that's true?

Not true! Someone posted a picture of seven (!) germinating seeds from just one nut (pod) on a German tree forum some years ago.

http://www.baumkunde.de/forum/viewtopic.php?t=8159&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=keimt&start=75

I admit this is exceptional: 2 to 3 seems the norm.

[David Sellars]

Thank you David. I'd have thought  squirrels might have eaten fruit and seed.

The pods are really too large and difficult for squirrels to deal with as they have a very hard woody casing.  The squirrels just chew the fleshy part on the outside.

I have tried propagating in pots without success.  Digging up seedlings is much easier