Flowers and foliage March 2008

[Paul T]

Mark,

I don't think they'd like the cold you get there.  I protect mine in winter as they don't like frosted leaves, or at least nothing major anyway.  I'd be assuming (perhaps incorrectly) that the mass planting pictured above is in a low frost area?  Are we talking Netherlands?

[Diane Whitehead]

I say I have sandy soil, but nothing like the sand in the nursery Luit
photographed.  It looks like a beach.  Is the sand added, like a sandbed,
or is it natural to that area?

What is under it?

I saw a small vegetable garden on one of our beaches once.  Beets, and
some others I can't remember.

[Lvandelft]

I say I have sandy soil, but nothing like the sand in the nursery Luit
photographed.  It looks like a beach.  Is the sand added, like a sandbed,
or is it natural to that area?

What is under it?

Diane I can only give you one answer:  Sand.

These places used to be dunes until the dune-sand was dug away down to appr. sealevel and used to make sandstone bricks of it.
On these grounds you can grow very many plant because of a pH 6 to 7, and a very good drainage.
And this is ideal for many bulbous plants.
The sand in my own place goes about 30 m deep until you will find some small stones (about 5 cm.) because we live in the Rhine Delta.

[Thomas Huber]

What a wonderful selection of flowers posted, amazing and uplifting. To see Tecophilea growing like a park bedding scheme is truly amazing but Mark steady your head before you do anything rash. I would experiment with 1 bulb first because I lost all the ones I put out.

I grow my Tecophilea outside for 3 years now and they do well:

[John Forrest]

But you grow wonderful Crocuses in your lawn Thomas and all I get is daisies, dandelions and other assorted weeds.   

[gote]

Michael,
Re your pink muscari. Are you sure about the name. Someone could have mis-read M. armeniacum. The muscaris, leopoldias, bellevalias hyacintellas and whatnots seem to play musical chairs with the names.
Janis Ruksans sold a Muscari botryoides 'Carnea' last year. I bought one but it is not even above ground in my climate. He said that it is a very rare garden variety. We will see what it looks like (I hope )
I have one he calls M. species nova 'Whiterose Beauty' (first pic) It is not very prolific.
I think Muscaris are overlooked because many are easy. I am afraid these pictures are from last year.
'Valeri Finnis' and 'Mount Hood'
PS
Maggie should this be a new thread?

[Maggi Young]

 Göte, I think we'll just leave your Muscari pix here meantime. While they are from last year, they refer to other plants posted in this thread and so are relevant.

[gote]

Johannes,
Could your unknown be viride? It looks very much like mine but mine always have green leaves.
Viride is the only reliably hardy Helleborus here and it looses all leaf well before the new year unlike all others I have grown.
Sorry! Old picture again but normally they flower in May here.

Have a nice Easter all of you

Göte

[johanneshoeller]

No Göte, it is not viride. This plant is very small every year (max 10cm)

[Michael J Campbell]

Michael,
Re your pink muscari. Are you sure about the name.

Gote, you are correct,it is Armeniacum. I went out in the dark to check the label and obviously did not read it correctly.

Althimzers, I have  forgot how to spell it.
 
 

[David Nicholson]

Michael,

Althimzers, I have  forgot how to spell it.

 

[Lesley Cox]

Very pleased to seed Muscari `Mt Hood' as I've just bought it. Definitely snow-topped.

[Tony Willis]

A few muscari species are now starting to flower.Most are un-named but still quite nice

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Great show everyone !
Love that M. macrocarpum Tony and I shall definitely be looking for Mount Hood, Gote !

Here's good old M. azureum !

[Tony Willis]

some more