May in the Northern Hemisphere

[johnw]

I googled it, but only found Oregon based nursery. If anyone knows where their seeds are sold in EU, I would be interested in them.

Ken straightened me out on these blacks Leena. Ernie and Marietta O'Byrne's series of Hellebores is know as the Winter Jewel Series, that series comes in different colour strains.  This dbl. black strain is called Onyx Odessey. My apologies as I thought I was looking at 2 different strains but all the dark ones were Onyx Odessey , a very few single, most double as in the pix and a few greeny purple doubles.

The O'Byrne's nursery is North West Garden Nursery in Oregon, it is a fantastic nursery with all sorts of delights.  Under contract in North America they sell these seeds to growers who in turn sell the plants retail. In the EU  - i.e. outside of North America    - anyone can buy seed, but in quantity.  What I meant was you might just find a local grower who is growing O'Byrne's seed. Otherwise order seed but get a price first!  Sorry for the confusion.

johnw

[Maggi Young]

Your Spring garden is looking lovely , Leena

[johnw]

I think those are the darkest I've ever seen John.

They're pretty dark David, darker than pictured and the foliage is very purple as well.  The blackest I've ever seen were in the UK - one at Stella Tracey's in Plymouth and the other at Fred Hunt's in Invergowrie, both world class gardens.  Those blacks were shiny coal black with no slately, dusty overlay.

john

[David Nicholson]

They're pretty dark David.  The blackest I've ever seen were in the UK - one at Stella Tracey's in Plymouth and the other at Fred Hunt's in Dundee, both world class gardens.  Those blacks were shiny coal black with no slately, dusty overlay.

john

I'm growing a couple of seedlings from Stella's dark forms, they may flower next year.

[Maggi Young]

Ken straightened me out on these blacks Leena. Ernie and Marietta O'Byrne's series of Hellebores is know as the Winter Jewel Series, that series comes in different colour strains.  This black strain is called Jade Star. My apologies as I thought I was looking at 2 different strains but all the dark ones were Jade Star, a very few single, most double as in the pix and a few greeny purple doubles.

The O'Byrne's nursery is North West Garden Nursery in Oregon, it is a fantastic nursery with all sorts of delights.  Under contract in North America they sell these seeds to growers who in turn sell the plants retail. In the EU  - i.e. outside of North America    - anyone can buy seed, but in quantity.  What I meant was you might just find a local grower who is growing O'Byrne's seed. Otherwise order seed but get a price first!  Sorry for the confusion.

johnw

   A muddle there it seems - I contacted Ernie , showing him the photo of the glam black  and asking him about seed to the EU -- he replied :
" Hi Margaret, Well, that is actually Onyx Odyssey, not Jade Star. You can look at the website www.nwgnursery.com to see the proper Jade Star, which is a single green with a red star in the center. If that was sold as Jade Star, there was a confusion at the growers. We have VERY strict protocols to make sure that such confusions do not happen here. We don't know of anyone selling seed in the UK, although we are happy to do so, but in wholesale quantities, i.e. 250 per color variety and 1000 per order, mimimums. Thanks for your interest."

[johnw]

Well thankfully that is straightened out.  All the Hellebore photos have been correctly named now.  Onyx Odessey is the Strain to look for!

David  - Our best blacks came from seed from the late Wanna Reardon-Smith's collection in Newton Abbot, 20 or more years ago.  Superb blacks they were and never again equalled until this strain, we grew 100s of them.  So you're in the right part of the world!

johnw

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Some images of the garden, just before the hailstorm came... 

First flower ever on my young Glaucidium palmatum !! 

Iris lactea

Iris reichenbachii f. balkana

Jankaemonda vandedemii

Oxalis 'Red Heart'

[Luc Gilgemyn]

And some more :

Oxalis laciniata 'Mathew Forrest'

Saxifraga x 'Tumbling Waters' ready to go !!


a couple of garden views

[David Nicholson]

Looking really great Luc.

[Maggi Young]

Your garden is  superb, Luc!

[Luc Gilgemyn]

 

Thanks Maggi and David ! 

[krisderaeymaeker]

Yes , Luc's garden look so  beautiful .....

Here in flower today :   

Centaurea achtarovii
Androsace mariae

[David Nicholson]

Two star strikers in the VRV Champion's League

[Hoy]

Yeah! And that Centaurea was exciting

My contribution is more modest:

Anemone ranunculoides and A. trifolia
Cardamine bulbifera - and you can see why it is called bulbifera!
Cardamine heptaphylla (obvious also )
Sanicula europaea

[krisderaeymaeker]

Two star strikers in the VRV Champion's League