Remarks from the Weekly KAVB Flower Show - Lisse

[Maggi Young]

what is the small claw for?

Lina wrote .... "It was great to see Cees Breed still working in his field, using his special tool to lift sick bulbs. "

[Lvandelft]

Nice pictures Lina, thanks for showing!

Maggi, this picture does remember me of the plans of a former professional cyclist some years ago, who was trying to convince the Dutch that a mountain should be build in Holland.    It might give better training possibilities to Dutch cylists 
http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90777/7567786.html
and here some pictures
https://www.google.at/search?q=de+berg+komt+er&es_sm=93&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=AfZnU8arK8OaO4DEgJgG&ved=0CDwQsAQ&biw=1419&bih=757

[Maggi Young]

It might be fun for the spectators, Luit, but I have not noticed any difficulty for the Dutch cyclists to ride well  in the mountains of the grand tours ! It is the great support from the fans that is half the battle I think!

[Boyed]

I made instead visit to the place where the breeder is trying to improve "black" tulips.
Blackis rather difficult to photograph and you'll see on some pics that taken from farther away the colors are darker.
From nearby many flowers are more purple, but some are close to black though... Enjoy. Searching for black tulips:     

Luit, I suppose the breeder is Cees van der Salm. They say he developped large flowering 'black' tulips, which sounds very intriguing, as all blacks up to date have quite small blooms. I have several blacks, and though some new balck tulips appeared in the market, I didn't tae interest and only willl take unless they are large-flowered.

[Lvandelft]

Zhirair, indeed he is the breeder. I know that there are large-flowered blacks which will be named soon.
He told us that every visitor may select one or more plants and pay a certain amount for each bulb and will receive this bulb in late summer and may do with it what he likes.
The ones which will receive a name soon were already acquired some ten years ago and will probably come into the trade within a few years.
First they will be planted in the KAVB garden and get registered.

[Lvandelft]

Various interesting entries this week, here one of them:

[Lvandelft]

Rhodohypoxis are very early this year, here a few.
Many white ones with cultivar names, but in my eyes not very differing from each other

Rhodohypoxis Candy Stripe           
Rhodohypoxis Dusky                   
Rhodohypoxis Orizuru               
Rhodohypoxis Pictus                 
Rhodohypoxis Tetra White 

[Lvandelft]

a nice panfull Ledeboria adlami and some Dodecatheon.
There are many named cultivars in the trade, but often not delivered true to name.
No wonder, when I read D. jeffreyi in nature may reach heights between 15 and 70 cms.

Ledebouria adlamii   
Dodecatheon jeffreyi [tetrandrum]

[Lvandelft]

two old cultivars:

Dodecatheon meadia Queen Victoria     
Dodecatheon meadia Rossini   

[Lvandelft]

Dodecatheon Red Wings was ordered from many sources in England and on the continent, but came in all different red(dish) colours and heights but never so short and red like the one shown here.

Dodecatheon pulchellum Red Wings 

[Lvandelft]

finally some various other entries:

Convallaria majalis Rosea                         
Fritillaria biflora Martha Roderick   
Narcissus Chiva
Scilla algeriense
Phlox sub. Kelly's Eye       

[Lvandelft]

a few pictures of this week's show.
There was a special Hosta competition with some good plants:

Hosta     
Hosta Orange Marmalade                   
                           

[Lvandelft]

and a vase with beautiful frits:

Fritillaria camtschatcensis       

[Lvandelft]

some irises

Iris holl. Montecito                         
Iris korolkowii 

[Lvandelft]

and some Liliaceae

Lilium pyrenaicum                           
Paradisia liliastrum