Let me introduce myself ...

[Paddy Tobin]

Welcome, Michael,

though I have already enjoyed your posting on the Maritime Alps, a great series of photographs.

Paddy

[dominique]

Welcome Michal. I have correspondance with Poznan Botanic Garden with seeds exchange
Dom

[The Russian]

My dear friends! I was late for 10 months but as speak in Russia "better late, than never" . My name is Elena. I live in Russia, in the city of Moscow. Very much I love flora of Russia, Japan, China. I collect a lily collection. Wild and hybrids. Especially I love L. martagon. In my garden there live 70 variants of these delightful lilies! And constantly it would be desirable more more more more more

[ichristie]

To all our new members of this forum a very warm welcome we really are so  pleased to hear from you and thank you for allowing us to share with you the flowers the plants the fun, keep posting, cheers Ian the Christie kind.

[Michal Hoppel]

Many thanks for all for very warm welcome!
 

[Paddy Tobin]

A very warm welcome to The Russian - Elena - and I look forward to seeing photographs of your wonderful collection of lilies.

Best wishes, Paddy

[maggiepie]

Hello, I have just spent a couple of hours ( most likely more) reading the 'let me introduce myself' thread, as well as following links to personal garden pics, sigh!!

I have to say I enjoyed reading about so many members and their passions for various plants, I will be busy googling for days.
Not good is the fact that a lot of the names I have googled already have already gone onto a wish list.

I'm Helen Poirier, spent my first 50 odd years in Australia gardening in zone 10, am now in Atlantic Canada trying to build gardens in zone 4b.
I came to Canada in 2001 and retired in 2006  to a  tiny village in the boonies, and bought a house with no gardens apart from a tiny overgrown rockgarden full of weeds and black plastic.
When spring came, a tiny clump of green put up some stems with weird looking heads, which later opened up and turned into checkered lillies, I fell in love.

My favourite plants are hardy geraniums, small flowered clematis, violas, aquilegias,hellebores, snowdrops, snowflakes,viburnums, phildelphus.
I love little plants that nod.
Unfortunately, I tend to fall in love with what I can't have.

At the moment I have several hundred baby hellebores and most likely the same amount of clematis seedlings plunged in the veggie garden.

It is such a voyage of discovery gardening in a cold climate, long winters and short growing periods, but I am finding it fascinating to walk around the garden very early spring, and see the signs of growth.
I love having 4 distinct seasons.

I am having so much fun playing with seeds, mostly during winter, it helps to peek into baggies, and discover signs of germination, and then potting them up.

I do look forward to getting to know people here on the forum.

Helen

[tonyg]

Welcome Helen - I think you'll find a few friends here who face the same challenges with the climate and seasons that you do.  Hope to see pictures of your developing garden in the spring.

[johnw]

A warm welcome Helen. You will find this group to be generous and helpful. It's a wonderful opportunity to learn so much.

With the name Poirier and in zone 4b I'd guess you must live in New Brunswick, north of Fredericton.  As you know one of the best places to grow Meconopsis is in the very cold area around Le Jardin de Métis so I'm sure there will be many more exquisite plants that will do well for you.

Hope you missed that devastating freezing rainstorm that New England got yesterday.

johnw


   

[Paul T]

I didn't realise it had been so long since I last looked in this topic.  Welcome to all who have introduced themselves that I've missed.  Thanks for joining us.... the more, the merrier!! 

[maggiepie]

Thanks Tony, with all the freeze /thaws we are having at the moment I hope I have something left alive by Spring.

John, I hope to learn a great deal from the group.
Btw, I live just over an hour north of Moncton, almost half way between Moncton and Miramichi. I wasn't aware that meconopsis grew well around Le Jardin de Métis, in fact I have never been there but now I will put it on a list of places to see.
I germinated some blue meconopsis earlier this year, but the croaked on me one by one ):- will have to try again sometime.
We had some freezing rain for awhile but then the temp rose to 11C. The rain did away with our snow cover though.
Thanks for the welcome.

Hi Paul, were you affected by the fires in Canberra some years ago? Can't remember exactly what year it was.

[johnw]

I wasn't aware that meconopsis grew well around Le Jardin de Métis, in fact I have never been there but now I will put it on a list of places to see.
I germinated some blue meconopsis earlier this year, but the croaked on me one by one ):- will have to try again sometime.

Helen - Welcome to the other club - where members have problems starting Meconopsis!

Le Jardin de Métis is reputed to have a field of 30,000 Meconopsis, definitely worth a visit.  If you are in the NB area that usually has moist summers you should do quite well with them.

johnw   -  -4c

[maggiepie]

John, I don't think the summers here are particularly wet, we did have quite a lot of rain last summer though, and we only had a few very hot days.
We did however get our first hard frost September19 which was a bit of a shock.
I have never actually seen a meconopsis face to face, can only drool over pictures.

[johnw]

Helen  - Just wondering if you are in the same general weather pattern as northeastern New Brunswick or the southeast.

It seems Le Jardin rarely has drought situations and virtually no heat combined with humidity.

September 19th is early but I doubt frost will bother Meconopsis.

A friend here divides his in late November even with severe freezes imminent.

johnw

[maggiepie]

John, we live in Kent County and get pretty much the same weather that Moncton does. We're about 12 minutes south of Kouchibouguac National Park.

http://www.greatcanadianparks.com/nbrunswick/kouchnp/index.htm