alpine and subalpine Plants from New Zealand

[t00lie]

Beautiful, Dave. Best regards from the UK.

Thanks Cliff .Same to you and Sue.

Just sorting out some images from this afternoons visit down the coast searching for native Orchids ......

[Leucogenes]

Fantastic Leucogenes leontopodium, Dave. Now everybody probably understands, why this is my absolute favorite plant. 😁 A dream. From the wilderness, from seed or bought?

If you have time, show your new sand bed , on the whole. It would interest me very much.

Cheers Thomas

[Leucogenes]

Nice to see Celmisia gracilenta Thomas.
 

(Attachment Link)

 

Thanks Dave... I has sunk them as a precaution with other NZ in sand and has covered with glass. Now it is too late to plant. I hope really very much that she survives the winter. From tomorrow the first snow can fall with us. 😢

Thomas

[Julia]

Hi Dave
I hope that Leucogenes leontopodium is still in flower on Friday?
Did you find any orchids?
I found 3 near Picton yesterday

[t00lie]

Hi Dave
I hope that Leucogenes leontopodium is still in flower on Friday?
Did you find any orchids?
I found 3 near Picton yesterday

Nice patch of Pterostylis Julia.

The edelweiss should be at its peak  .

I was a bit early for the most of the Orchids down at Waituna Wetlands and had just about given up hope of finding any in bloom when in the last patch of Manuka before arriving back at the car I came across a couple of different genera in flower. 

Just started feeding the wild birds for you ......

Cheers.

[Julia]

That’s good looking forward to seeing your garden and the birds.

[Leucogenes]

The edelweiss should be at its peak  .

Hello Dave


If I compare your Leucogenes leontopodium to mine, I discover low differences. With your copy the foliage goes directly up to the lower edge of the blossom. The blossoms thereby work as put on. I find this wonderful. If the climax is the blossoming, the blossoms also differ something in the size and form. I like this stubby form very well. With my copies there sit the blossoms on a short stalk (photo). There are presumably some different forms in the nature. In any case, your plant is an absolute Eyecatcher... and you should try to increase some cuttings. I love it.

Me would still interest how the state of the substrate is with you and in the nature. I have already more often belonged that it should be sandy rather a little. Is this right? With me some desires become every year grey and soft, and die shortly after. Now I have the supposition this my substrate too much humus has and the drainage should be raised. I would be glad, as usual, about some Basics of you specialists.

Thomas

[Lesley Cox]

Thomas, you have a lovely collection of New Zealanders in your box. Better than mine!

Julia I'll bring my own Leucogenes in its pot on Thursday night, just as table decoration. Dave's in the open garden is so much better. Over several years I've grown cuttings from my original one, maybe 100 or more, it is so easy to propagate that way. I sowed the fluff from the dead flowers two years ago and though there was nothing visible which could be called seed, 3 seedlings duly appeared after a couple of months, so worth collecting all the fluff and sowing it.

[Leucogenes]

Thomas, you have a lovely collection of New Zealanders in your box. Better than mine!

Julia I'll bring my own Leucogenes in its pot on Thursday night, just as table decoration. Dave's in the open garden is so much better. Over several years I've grown cuttings from my original one, maybe 100 or more, it is so easy to propagate that way. I sowed the fluff from the dead flowers two years ago and though there was nothing visible which could be called seed, 3 seedlings duly appeared after a couple of months, so worth collecting all the fluff and sowing it.

Thanks Lesley... these are not many, but I am glad about every plant from New Zealand. 😊

It is very interesting to hear that you have increased Leucogenes successfully by seed. I achieved with it still no success. Few gardeners I know, Leucogenes increase by cuttings. I try it, however, furthermore. My friends of the Arctic Alpine Garden got many years ago once fresh seeds of L. neglecta. These germinated very well and they could thereby breed some plants. However, in the course of the years the continuance decreased more and more and now has went out. I got as a gift two small plants three years ago. What responsibility. Hopefully I can keep alive these two plants. I protect them like my eye. Maybe I experience it still and them one day will blossom.

Thomas

[t00lie]

Hello Dave


If I compare your Leucogenes leontopodium to mine, I discover low differences. With your copy the foliage goes directly up to the lower edge of the blossom. The blossoms thereby work as put on. I find this wonderful. If the climax is the blossoming, the blossoms also differ something in the size and form. I like this stubby form very well. With my copies there sit the blossoms on a short stalk (photo). There are presumably some different forms in the nature. In any case, your plant is an absolute Eyecatcher... and you should try to increase some cuttings. I love it.

Me would still interest how the state of the substrate is with you and in the nature. I have already more often belonged that it should be sandy rather a little. Is this right? With me some desires become every year grey and soft, and die shortly after. Now I have the supposition this my substrate too much humus has and the drainage should be raised. I would be glad, as usual, about some Basics of you specialists.

Thomas

Hello Thomas

Sorry for the delay in replying ...I wanted to observe my Leucogenes to see if the flowering stems elongated at all and here's a picture I took today showing some movement . I'm unsure of how variable it can be as I've never seen it in the wild.


The last couple of years I've started experimenting with a number of ,(river), sand beds ranging from about 100mm to about 200mm ? in depth to try and counter the losses because of low light levels and year round moist conditions.

NZ natives don't seem to mind the lack of humus at those depths, so here's a small sample from this afternoon. 

Bulbinella angustifolia .




As well as Celmisia sps 'grassy leafed'.


The above plants are probably easy natives for other folk however I should point out we garden in a woodland setting so it can be a battle to grow alpines well in these conditions.

Cheers Dave.

[t00lie]

Gentianella saxosa seeding around in one of the sand beds.

[Leucogenes]

Hello, Dave.

The Leucogenes seems to feel with you very well. It looks fantastic. I suppose this of Hokonoi Alpine Nursery is? I also like the quite green foliage. With my copies the foliage is a little bit more grey one. It is really very interesting that you experiment with sand. A challenge is to be had in this and humid area rich in wood alpine plants.

Maybe David still has some infos about different variations of Leucogenes Leontopodium.

... and if it you calmly... I have never seen it still in the wilderness. 😂, However, at the latest in five years I would like to realise my dream and go on a trip on the south island. Then we can search it together. 😉

Also the other native plants look very good.

Greetings Thomas

[Leucogenes]

... many seedlings of Gentianella saxosa show in your sand - patch that the experiment with the sand is successful. Very well.

[Lesley Cox]

Thomas, Dave has never seen it in the wild (and nor have I} because it is the NORTH ISLAND edelweiss! so if you come to New Zealand some time, you will have to do a tour of the NORTH island. There is a large and varied volcanic plateau in the North Island and Leucogenes leontopoduim comes from Mt Holdsworth in the Tararua Ranges, which have many beautiful alpines.

[Leucogenes]

Hello, Lesley.

You are right of course completely. How could I only forget this? On the Monday evening I am always quite broken. I get up shortly after midnight to go on the work. Last night I was already 18 hours on the legs. There such a mistake can happen. Sorry. 😊

 If I come sometime to NZ, a trip is planned of course also in the south of the north island. Since I would meet very much with pleasure all four kinds. If somebody controls both languages, he can join to me. My friends have no desire to botanize three or four weeks in the mountains.

Thomas