Flowers and foliage February 2008

[Michael J Campbell]

  Re. white Linda Pope. 

Wonder if you can still get it anywhere? Must ask around.

Martin, I don't have white Linda Pope myself, and I haven't seen it for sale for years. Let me know if you find a source.

[Michael J Campbell]

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

Anthony, I have a few seed of Viola cotyledon and a Viola Sp,If you would like to try them. PM me with your address and I will post them. I can include a little GA3 as well if you want it.

cheers, Michael.

[David Nicholson]

  Re. white Linda Pope. 

Wonder if you can still get it anywhere? Must ask around.

Martin, I don't have white Linda Pope myself, and I haven't seen it for sale for years. Let me know if you find a source.

Hi Martin and Michael,

I may have White Linda Pope?? Odd statement to make, but here is the plant I bought, out of flower, a couple of years ago as 'straight' Linda Pope. It was obvious when it came into bud that it wasn't and I always like to think that the label was nearly right and it is White Linda Pope.

What do you think?

Michael if I lived in Ireland I would never be off your doorstep, you could teach me so much.

[David Nicholson]

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, if I could step back in time (that's almost a cue for a thread!) then a visit to Joe Elliott's nursery would be very high on my list. I'm assuming it was in the village of Broadwell as there are a number of Primula hybrids with 'Broadwell' in the name eg. Broadwell Milkmaid. Early in the New Year I was on the road from Stow to Morton in Marsh and saw the signpost to Broadwell and ran down through the village. Lovely little place with some very 'well heeled' houses but no sign of a nursery now.

[Michael J Campbell]

David, it looks good to me. If it is not the real thing it is not far away.

cheers, Michael.

[Maggi Young]

Have a look at this SRGC Show report: http://www.srgc.org.uk/shows/edinburgh/report.html

which includes this quote " There are many good white Primulas grown and shown today. Bob Meaden took first with his fabulous P. White Lady [also known as 'White Linda Pope', when it won a Forrest medal for Fred Hunt in Perth a few years ago]. "



Yours is a fine plant and looking very healthy about the leaves. 

[Martin Baxendale]

Yes, I'd forgotten 'White Linda Pope' was renamed 'White Lady'. Thanks, Maggi.

Michael, I'll let you know if I find a commercial source. It really was a good seed parent.

David, that looks right to me. As Michael says, if it isn't then it's as near as dammit. But I doubt another chance seedling is likely to have cropped up as good as that. I expect it's a case of mis-labelling somewhere along the line. Joe Elliott's nursery was indeed in Broadwell, in an old farmyard. His collection of stone trough gardens was excellent too, some of them inherited from his father, Clarence Elliott, also a nurseryman.

[Martin Baxendale]

Have a look at this SRGC Show report: http://www.srgc.org.uk/shows/edinburgh/report.html

Wow! Those show plants are superb! 'Wharfedale Village' is another I used to have - also a stunner.

[Paul T]

Michael,

Great hellebores and wonderful Primulas.  All very speccy!! (that's special, to those who don't know the term)

You're not alone in the pollen daubing stakes...... my wife jokes about me going out to have sex in the garden at times, when I grab my little paint brush and head out determinedly. 

[gmoen]

Gerd.

I have not visited the forum for a while so here is a late comment to your message concerning Viola rosulata. I have also been growing that species and had the same experience as you. And I have reason to believe that we both had great sucsess 
Some of the rosulate violas are monocarpic, and I think this species are among them. I have also had some contact with my friend Gerben Tjerdsma at the Botanical Garden of Gothenurg, and he also believe this might be a monocarpic species.

[Gerdk]

Gerd.

I have not visited the forum for a while so here is a late comment to your message concerning Viola rosulata. I have also been growing that species and had the same experience as you. And I have reason to believe that we both had great sucsess 
Some of the rosulate violas are monocarpic, and I think this species are among them. I have also had some contact with my friend Gerben Tjerdsma at the Botanical Garden of Gothenurg, and he also believe this might be a monocarpic species.

Geir,
I am not convinced that V. rosulata is monocarpic - even my plant disappeared without developing seeds. I saw flowering rosettes of different size  near the Termas de Chillan which may indicate that they are perennials. Maybe this violet acts monocarpic when conditions doesn't suit.
Nevertheless congratulations for your success - V. rosulata is known as a tricky species.
Gerd

[Anthony Darby]

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

Anthony, I have a few seed of Viola cotyledon and a Viola Sp,If you would like to try them. PM me with your address and I will post them. I can include a little GA3 as well if you want it.

cheers, Michael.

Sorry Michael, missed this. Spent the whole weekend moving books and shelves from my former study upstairs to the new one. Back to school for a rest  (I wish - parents' night tonight so won't be home until 7.30 p.m.)

[ranunculus]

An informative link to a page on rosulate violas for those who might be interested....

http://www.alpinegarden-ulster.org.uk/POM/POM_Rosulate%20Viola.htm