Flowers and foliage March 2008

[Gerdk]

Primula marginata already flowering in the open garden???
Mine has just now awoken.

Kathrine,
This species is always very early here. Do you have doubts concerning its hardiness?

P. marginata is a very tough Primula - no problems with cold, dryness, shade or sun here.

Gerd

[Maggi Young]

I agree, Primula marginata is very tough, but here in Aberdeen only one plant is showing any growth and opening its flowers.
1)this little plant is about 12cms across, it is on a raised bed.
2) this one is still asleep, although only a metre away from the first
3) a Saxifraga opening its flowers in the same bed

[Katherine J]

Do you have doubts concerning its hardiness?

Noooo Gerd, I was only surprised because of flowering so early at you.

[Katherine J]

It must be tough, it was full of mites last summer here, and survived! Because of spraying it's leaves became dull green, but recovered and it looks absolutely healthy now.

[mark smyth]

When I next struggle upstairs I must show a lovely Muscari I have M. leucostomum. Flowering now it's a lovely addition to the garden. It's black with a white mouth.

Anyone know if Muscari can be twinscaled?

[Martin Baxendale]

Muscari can certainly be chipped and twin scaled, Mark. I've chipped Muscari macrocarpum very successfully in the past.

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Here's a colourful corner in my garden :

1) clockwise, starting at the bottom :
- Sax. apiculata - flowering very poorly as a young plant and doing better every year now .
- chionodoxa "Pink giant"
- Sax. megasaeflora "Jupiter"
- Scilla Tubergenii - almost over
2) Same group, from another angle.

[Maggi Young]

Colourful indeed, Luc. A lovely grouping. I do like Sax. 'Jupiter'.... good foliage as well.
 I rather like the Chionodoxa 'Pink Giant', too.... but mine are only leaves as yet, just 5cms out of the ground by my front door and no buds showing yet!

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Belgium obviously has a more Mediteranean climate than Aberdeen Maggi 

[Gerdk]

Do you have doubts concerning its hardiness?

Noooo Gerd, I was only surprised because of flowering so early at you.

Sorry Kathrine - I did not imagine that spring in my region is further than in Hungary.
I forgot the maritime influence we have.

Gerd

[art600]

Could you please confirm the identity of this Romulea.  I have it as clusiana

[David Nicholson]

Could you please confirm the identity of this Romulea.  I have it as clusiana

Arthur, according to the PBS Wiki it's known, by some, as Romulea bulbocodium var. clusiana, and by others as R. clusiana,so yer pays yer money and takes yer choice! Lovely little plant though whatever it's called.


http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/index.php/EuropeanAndMediterraneanRomuleas#clusiana

[Hans J]

Here a other Romulea from me which is flowering today :

[Anthony Darby]

here are some orchids in flower at the moment. I know that one at least has been renamed, papilionacea  and the lutea has been divided into sub species to numerous to count. I am ignoring this and just putting up the pictures. It is snowing heavily as I post this,glad winter is over!

Tony, never thought to put my orchids in the garage. I just leave them in situ and they dry out in the greenhouse. My Ophrys spp. are some weeks from flowering by my Orchis (Anacamptis) papilionacea is out now, as is my Barlia (Himantoglossum) robusta.

[gote]

It is too early for Corydalis here. They are just above ground so I cannot post under this thread
I can, however, recommend you to get Ruksan's catalogue. He has a very high standard on the corms he supplies.
Until now I have never seen a blue solida that is as blue as elata or better forms of ornata or turtchaninowii.
Corydalis solida 'Blue gigant' looks like the blue one in the beginning of this thread. (and can be bought)
Göte