Calanthe 2015

[SteveC2]

At last my first few are fully open.  A tricarinata, a sieboldii, and one of the Anthura hybrids that I took a liking to, but have no idea as to its parentage.  More to follow but they just seem to be sitting waiting.

[reifuan]

That is one pretty cabbage..

[SteveC2]

And another cabbage.  I was hoping for a little more colour, this is a little too pastel for my liking!

[arisaema]

Are these cabbages actually hardy in C Europe, like the advertising claims?

[reifuan]

I suspect that their hardiness varies, depending on parentage.  Best to protect the shoots by giving them a generous winter mulch. However, the leaves on my cabbage have taken no  frost damage at all this winter, which cannot be said for my C. sieboldii and C. hancockii.

[Maren]

Gentlemen,

on my extensive allotments, I have never seen a cabbage that looks like these plants. But most of my asparagus bunches do.

[SteveC2]

Cabbage is a term of affection in my family!  Not sure that everyone else is using it in the same way.

[reifuan]

Currently in flower: Calanthe hancockii. My plant isn't quite so obscenely large as the hancockii×sieboldii hybrids being offered recently, but the flowers are bigger than all other species except C. sieboldii.
It is a bit malodorous, though not intolerably so.

[Herman Mylemans]

Calanthe's are doing well in our garden. Calanthe bicolor must be discolor (Z26), Calanthe brevicornu hybrid  (OBS46), Calanthe mannii (H70), Calanthe sieboldii ((OBS43) and Calanthe tricarinata (H80)

[reifuan]

That is a very impressive clump of C. tricarinata, Herman! Mine has more than a few years to go before it looks anything like that.
Some of the names are incorrect though, your 'brevicornu' is clearly a brevicornu hybrid, possibly with discolor. It seems that lately, a lot of hybrids are being sold as one of their parent species, which bothers me to no end.
C. bicolor is the old name for what is actually the hybrid between C.discolor and C. sieboldii. Having said that; your plant looks exactly like C. discolor from what I can see.
Your C. sieboldii is possibly a hybrid lookalike, but I can't say for certain.

[Herman Mylemans]

That is a very impressive clump of C. tricarinata, Herman! Mine has more than a few years to go before it looks anything like that.
Some of the names are incorrect though, your 'brevicornu' is clearly a brevicornu hybrid, possibly with discolor. It seems that lately, a lot of hybrids are being sold as one of their parent species, which bothers me to no end.
C. bicolor is the old name for what is actually the hybrid between C.discolor and C. sieboldii. Having said that; your plant looks exactly like C. discolor from what I can see.
Your C. sieboldii is possibly a hybrid lookalike, but I can't say for certain.

C. tricarinata is planted there (humus rich soil) in 2012. About brevicornu, I bought it at nursery Bergalp in Netherlands, after seeing the flowers I had also doubts. So I will change the name in brevicornu hybrid and C. bicolor must then be discolor. Thank you for the right names.

[SteveC2]

I second the comment about the tricarinata, spectacular!
Both the "brevicornu" and "sieboldii" look very much like the Anthura hybrids mentioned elsewhere.  It is great that they are making Calanthe more widely available but I share Reifuan's displeasure at the inaccurate naming.  Sadly it is even worse with their Cypripediums.

[Herman Mylemans]

Calanthe hancockii (H102)

[Maren]

Hermann, I am most impressed that you can grow these outside. What kind of soil do you have? ph?

[Herman Mylemans]

Hermann, I am most impressed that you can grow these outside. What kind of soil do you have? ph?

Maren, our soil is a bit heavy (between sand and clay), I know it is a bit acid but I don't know the PH. I use a lot of compost of Carpinus betulus (shredding and then one winter on a compost heap)