August 2015 in the Northern Hemisphere

[meanie]

Hi Maggy,

Like so many of my plants I grow them in large pots.  Last winter I stored the pots in the barn where they only experienced mild frost.  If the weather had gone too cold I always have the possibility to cover the pots with a thick lawer of straw of 2 bales of straw , which must be something like a3 to 4 feet thick blanket of straw, enough to preserve them from frost.

Right now the only "exotics" I grow in the open are some Eucomis and some crinum and 2 banana trees.

Nice Hedychium!
I've found H.gardnerianum hardy here but not a hope in hell with Eucomis. I've lost every one that I've tried. It has to be a matter of finding the correct spot as I now find Tradescantia pallida hardy in several spots here.

[brianw]

Nice Hedychium!
I've found H.gardnerianum hardy here but not a hope in hell with Eucomis. I've lost every one that I've tried. It has to be a matter of finding the correct spot as I now find Tradescantia pallida hardy in several spots here.

Interesting, as ~50 east of you in south Bucks, I have never risked the Hedychium outside but never thought that my Eucomis might not survive. I have numerous bulbs of the run of the mill smelly types (comosa, bicolor?) grown from seed that I dug up from thick clumps from another garden, there is a small white one in a neighbours garden for the last 3 years or so, and my "Sparkling Burgundy" seems very happy here, with another less imposing variety nearby.

[johnralphcarpenter]

This is a nice Hemerocallis; the label says Hemerocallis yezoensis, which it clearly is not - unknown cultivar then!

[Tony Willis]

Pyrola rotundifolia, not the best picture but first time flowering for me.

[meanie]

Interesting, as ~50 east of you in south Bucks, I have never risked the Hedychium outside but never thought that my Eucomis might not survive. I have numerous bulbs of the run of the mill smelly types (comosa, bicolor?) grown from seed that I dug up from thick clumps from another garden, there is a small white one in a neighbours garden for the last 3 years or so, and my "Sparkling Burgundy" seems very happy here, with another less imposing variety nearby.

Re the H.gardnerianum - the person (on another forum) who sent it me assured me that it would be hardy and that if I lost it he would send me more. I still have the original (truly huge) tubers he sent me so he was correct.

Eucomis - as I say it has to be a matter of finding the correct spot I think. As I say T.pallida is proving hardy in three spots around the garden.
Could the "small white one" be E.autumnalis?

That one has been hardy but the slugs and snails find it before I do!

[François Lambert]

Nice Hedychium!
I've found H.gardnerianum hardy here but not a hope in hell with Eucomis. I've lost every one that I've tried. It has to be a matter of finding the correct spot as I now find Tradescantia pallida hardy in several spots here.

I haven't yet taken the risk to loose my Hedychium Gardnerianum to a severe frost.  Although I have discovered that mine has kept all his leaves over this winter (temps down to a few °C below zero) while stored in the barn (but I placed the pot outside when the weather allowed it).  The result is quite nice, having leaves already in spring it's growing to unseen heights right now with many more stems than ever before.  I might devide the rhizome next year and plant a few in the open to see what will happen.

[brianw]

Could the "small white one" be E.autumnalis?

That one has been hardy but the slugs and snails find it before I do!

Could very well be. Looks and smells as I recall mine used to before I lost it one winter when the pot was left out unprotected one winter. This clump started with a ring of 6-8" flower stems a few years back, but is now 20-30 small plants with no more flowers. Eucomis in general seem to benefit from deep planting to minimise splitting, but you still have to lift and divide every so often.
I noticed another 7 or 8 pots lost in an overgrown corner of my garden that are presumably E. comosa type. Some even in flower, and they have not been touched or protected for 2 years or more.

[K-D Keller]

Flowering now, part 1:

Acis autumnalis, Acis rosea, Byblis filifolia, Campanula alsinoides and Campanula myrtifolia in a hole of a tuff.

[K-D Keller]

Flowering now, part 2:

Campanula cochleariifolia, Cyananthus microphyllus, Leuchtenbergia princips,  Symphyandra cretica and Veronica telephiifolia.

Symphyandra cretica has a very long duration of flowering, for me a really good alpine plant.

[Yann]

Acis autumnalis pulchella first to flower

[Yann]

KD do you grow your  Campanula myrtifolia under glass? same for Symphyandra cretica.
Outside they always rotted, even in tuffa, under my climate.

[Gerdk]

Papaver rupifragum - a beauty just for a few hours!

Gerd

[K-D Keller]

Yann, the Campanula myrtifolia is under glas. The Symphyandra cretica is in a trough without any protection. Since three years it survived without any damage.

[olegKon]

Papaver rupifragum - a beauty just for a few hours!

Gerd

But a plant gives a lot of flowers and selfseeds freely, so providing a constant display. I have had it for many years and now know the name. Thank you, Gerd

[Tim Ingram]

Read about this plant but never seen it until visiting Peter and Gill Regan's garden a few days ago - Lysimachia paridiformis. The resemblance to Paris is really uncanny, a good example of convergant evolution. Fascinating plant - high on the wish list!