Flowers and foliage February 2008

[Armin]

Here are some shots of the clearing as you leave the woodland glade shown earlier.I call this area the acer glade as there are several japanese acers planted beneath the prunus sargentii which provide the Summer shade and it is later a sea of Frit.pyranacea.Enjoy.

John, your garden is simply fantastic!

[johngennard]

Thanks for your kind comments everyone, they give me much satisfaction and it is a pleasure to share it with you all.

[Michael J Campbell]

A few Hellebores.

[Michael J Campbell]

A few more

[Michael J Campbell]

Primula hybs

[Michael J Campbell]

Some Cyclamen coum in pots.

[Martin Baxendale]

All very nice indeed, Michael. I'm particularly taken with your primula hybrid no. 4. It's a little cracker!  

Does no. 1 have marginata blood in it? The leaves have a look of marginata, and the flowers look almost as if they had some 'Linda Pope' blood in them.

[Michael J Campbell]

Yes Martin, that is a seedling from Linda Pope X Allionii hyb. I have lots more nice ones but they are not in bloom yet.

[Martin Baxendale]

Yes Martin, that is a seedling from Linda Pope X Allionii hyb. I have lots more nice ones but they are not in bloom yet.

I look forward to seeing more as they come into bloom. I just love European primula species and hybrids. I was taken  to Joe Elliott's nursery in the Cotswolds for the first time when I was about 12 or 13 and I can still remember the thrill of walking into one of his alpine houses filled with primula stock plants - mostly allioniis, and some of his own crosses. The only thing more thrilling at Joe Elliott's was to walk into the alpine house where he kept his big stock plants of Daphne petraea 'Grandiflora' when they were in full flower and filling the house with perfume. This was in the days when hardly anyone had D. petraea, and he had a waiting list as long as your arm. The third most thrilling thing was to visit his frames full of Gentiana verna 'Angulosa' in full flower. Fourth most thrilling...well, you get the picture. It was a lovely nursery.

I tried my hand a few years back with crossing P. 'White Linda Pope' with various other things (including allioniis) and got some very nice seedlings. Unfortunately I lost 'White Linda Pope' so couldn't repeat the experiment. I haven't seen it around for a while now. Wonder if you can still get it anywhere? Must ask around.

[Martin Baxendale]

Michael, I also just greatly enjoyed viewing the lewisia hybrids on your website. Stunning! Those pictures and the lewisia log from Wisley have prompted me to make a note to order some lewisia seed from Ashwoods and start growing them again after too many years without them (apart from a couple of rediviva seedlings that have refused to die despite years of neglect!) I used to have quite a few. Time to get some more again! 

[Anthony Darby]

talking of rosulate violas I just thought I would use it as an excuse to put up a picture. Not my scree bed but in flower now.

Gosh, this thread has leapt forward since I last visited. Must have forgotten about it? I would just love to grow one of the rosulate violas but I keep missing the seed. (I reckon an environmental chamber wired by satelite to a weather station in Chile would be needed?)

[Katherine J]

Michael,
I've decided to move to Ireland an spend seven days a week in your garden and learn all your "secrets". 
Your plants are lovely.

[Paddy Tobin]

Martin,

Memory fails me a little but it was last year or the year before that Michael (Campbell) put on a display of lewisias at the AGS show in Dublin and it was simply fantastic, a tour de force of magnificent lewesias. Now, that is high praise from me, one who gave up on them in total disgust years ago as I found it impossible to get them through  my wet winter conditions but Michael's display was outstanding. You would have loved it.

Michael,

Lewesias, primulas and daphnes, of  course, I associated with you immediately but I never realised you had such an interest in hellebores. You have some excellent cultivars, beautiful flowers. Are these of your own raising or bought in?

Paddy

[Michael J Campbell]

I never realised you had such an interest in hellebores.

Paddy, I started with Ashwood stock and now I cross my own. I can't leave anything alone that has  pollen if I can find a suitable recipient.
I am known in certain quarters as a backyard pollen dauber.

[Michael J Campbell]

Here is a pick of Hellebores Pink Beauty in the garden.