February in the Northern Hemisphere

[johngennard]

To Bolinopsis.The answer to your question is 45 years.Sorry about the picture size but I am struggling with a new computer.I am hoping that I have sorted it now and I managed to grab some more shots during a brief period of sunshine although they are not fully open.

[Maggi Young]

I think you have cracked the photo thing now, John - and what a pretty picture those crocus make.

Good to hear you are getting enough brightness to get them opening. So sad when they get stuck in wet dull weather - though they have such a slim elegant shape that they are still lovely.


Paul:  bad news about the car problems - it's certainly not weather up here to be stranded in with a broken vehicle. Fingers crossed for a quick fix.

Your  Dionysias are superb - I have a soft spot for both the Zvolanek brothers - the men and the plants!!

[Cyril L]

Cyril, yes Tess and Geist are both f1 seedlings of Emmely, possibly the only redeeming feature of Emmely is it's fertility as evidenced by the fact that they are 1997 seedlings numbers 15 & 30 respectively. Unknowingly Ju Bramley and I submitted both plants to the Joint Rock Committee in 2008 as unnamed plants and they awarded PCs subject to naming. Fortunately Michael Kammerlander was at the Kent show a week later and he asked us to name the white plant so we chose Geist (German for ghost) which we both felt appropriate. There are many other Emmely seedlings, photo's of MK99310/27 in and out of flower attached plus a seedling I raised in 2003 now named Lysithea which opens very pale yellow and quickly fades to near white and is smaller in all it's parts which is a bonus when space is at a premium.
If we can work out the logistics I can let you have one of the white afghanica hybrids if you would like one. Are you going to Kendal; if so I could give one to somebody at Loughborough to pass on to you.
Got to rush off now for the day for the first of two funerals this week. Tonight I'll try and post some more afghanica hybrids from past years. You're right the colour range is remarkable, olive green, dark gold, rust, pearl amongst the more unusual.
Paul

Paul, I hope to go to Kendal, so would be very happy with one of the white afghanica hybrids.  Thank you.

Some more superb dionysias.  Must be very addictive especially when you raise your own very special plants such as 'Lysithea'.

[Dionysia]

I'll let you know who has the plant after Loughborough Cyril, it won't be huge though! First flowering is always exciting, the hope it might be gentian blue or pillar box red. So far nothing that dramatic but some have been well worth propagating, others not so. The first batch I raised from seed MK sent me in 2003 numbered over 500 and I had to knock the garden shed down to squeeze a new 6x6 into a tiny space by the house. Although I only retained around 10%, these of course grew so the space didn't last long and there have been further raisings since. Don't deliberately pollenate my own plants as I have more than enough to do but whenever a plant dies I always look for capsules and occasionally find a few seeds. It is one of the most satisfying aspects of our addiction. My mother calls it an obsession. A few of my seedlings attached.
Paul

[Dionysia]

and finally.

[Cyril L]

Great range and variety of seedlings Paul, and superbly well grown.  Many thanks for showing.  I must try harder to grow them well but the problem is I like too many other plants also.

[Dionysia]

Don't we know it! At least give the rest of us a chance by having one genus you don't excel in. I never cease to be amazed at how you produce unmatchable plants across such a vast spectrum. I do grow other things but space (or lack thereof) is always a major problem.
Paul

[Anne Repnow]

Hepatica transsylvatica 'Winterfreude' - it has flowered for 6 weeks now!

[Anne Repnow]

The crocuses are coming along fine. All they need now is bit more sunshine.
Crocus etruscus 'Zwanenburg'
Crocus tommasianus 'Roseus'

[fenius]

Lovely flowers everyone!! So these are the dionysias I've come across in threads here, never realised how diverse and pretty they can be.... Nice job, Paul!
Loved the meadows too, and the crocuses..
This is my news:
our "frost",
my first ever hepatica blooms, after one failed attempt with the plant last year
...and lastly my heavenly scented daphne odora !!

[David Nicholson]

Well done Fenius, just keep on trying any genus you can get your hands on and you will get to know what will get by on your conditions.

[rosa]

Do you grow Fuchsia perscandens outdoors, and if so, which part of the country are you in?

[Maggi Young]

Do you grow Fuchsia perscandens outdoors, and if so, which part of the country are you in?

Welcome, Rosa!

This thread may be of interest to you :
http://www.srgc.net/forum/index.php?topic=6966.0
and this :
http://nfsnz.orconhosting.net.nz/nzspecies.htm

[meanie]

Do you grow Fuchsia perscandens outdoors, and if so, which part of the country are you in?

Thanks to the encouragement on the other thread I've kept it outdoors the last couple of winters in a very sheltered spot.
I'm in Oxfordshire where it can be surprisingly cold.

[François Lambert]

Dionysia, those flowering Dionysia's really look beautiful and cheer us up during this darker period of the year.  Not so much flowering in nature right here right now.  The snowdrops are slowly developing from bud stage to flowers and the hazelnut & alder trees have their catkins waving gracefully in the wind.