Flowers and foliage January 2008

[Lesley Cox]

Now now Lesley.  No need to get snitty.  As a peace offering I'm happy to offer you Russell Crowe back if you'd like??  (now where is that innocent smiley with a halo when you need it?)

Ah, but do we want him?

[Katherine J]

Shows why common names can be somewhat misleading!! 

Well, the hungarian common name of Saintpaulia ionantha is Capensis violet 

[mark smyth]

Maybe we should have gone to Ashwoods instead to Colesbourne. I really want a very nice Hellebore of two for the centre of one of my raised beds

[Mick McLoughlin]

Seems to be the only thing in flower in the garden at the moment.
So I'll post picture of Helleborus niger from today.

[Paddy Tobin]

Mick,

The weather must be kind in your neck of the woods. I took a few photographs of H. niger but the blooms were all splashed and splattered following recent rain.

However, there were some things in flower at the moment.


Brian,

I grow a few witch hazels and have never pruned them at all and would not do so except they were getting in the way of something important.


Paddy

[Paddy Tobin]

I meant to mention above in reference to the photograph, 'Cyclamen coum with seedling'  that this is a very simple method I have used very successfully to propagate Cyclamen coum and C. hederifolium in the garden. When the seed capsule is ripe and beginning to split, I scrape back a patch of the bark which I use as a  mulch and then scatter the seeds on the ground. They invariably germinate the following season. You can see the patch of seedlings above. Reputatedly, ants will otherwise collect them and disperse them according to their own purposes.

Meanwhile some more photographs from the garden today:

Paddy

[Paddy Tobin]

And a last few,

Paddy

[Diane Clement]

Paddy, your cyclamen are lovely plants, but the ones labelled as cilicium are both persicum.

[Paddy Tobin]

Perfectly correct, Diane. These were bought as Christmas decorative plants a few years ago and have continued to do well on each following year. I will go back and correct the names, if I can.

Paddy

[Brian Ellis]

Paddy

This witch hazel was spreading quite a bit and only flowering at the ends of the branches.  I wanted to reduce it's size and get more flower and it does seem to have worked.  We went to one of the National Collections of witch hazel last year and the holder said they could be pruned successfully if they became too big for their space which prompted me to have a go.

[Luc Gilgemyn]

You already have quite a colourful display Paddy !  Nice plants and pictures.  Once again the Green Isle is way in front of us, half frozen "continentals" 
Your I. K. Hodgekins makes me long for mine to flower - I'll need to be patient for 6 or 8 more weeks or so.  Thanks for making the waiting seem shorter  .

[Katherine J]

Flowers and foliage now, after a day and night of sleety rain. But finally the sun is shining!!!!

[Anthony Darby]

Paddy isn't 'Gravetye Giant' a form of Leucojum aestivum?

[mark smyth]

Paddy must have been on the drink yesterday

[Paddy Tobin]

Mea culpa, Hic!

How did you notice?

Paddy