Early January 2007

[ian mcenery]

Maggi shopping me? I usually have to be sent except ................ when its for plants then you can't see me for dust stones and rubble. If I'm allowed I will try to take some photos at Ashwoods just to whet your appetite

[Maggi Young]

Ian, yes, please, pix from Ashwoods. Not just Hellebores, though, Hepaticas too and early Lewisias and and!!

[admin]

Fred Admin was so busy the other day, wrestling with a rampant Clematis he'd grown from seed, and, as far as I know, he may still be lying down in a darkened room to recover, your warning is well given!

Indeed.  A Mongolian clematis grown from wild seed that took years to establish but took over once it did. Choking out everything, stems wrought of  carbon steel, muddy white flowers the size of a peanut and seed heads that were nothing to shout about.

Other than that it was a fine plant.

I eventually got it all cut out  and burned but will have to dig  the roots out later as the ground is now frozen solid  and under snow.

Grown back in the early days when I JUST HAD TO  grow everything  . I dare say most of us   go through that stage.  A good reminder that not all wild collected seeds are a good thing, no matter how remote the place they are  collected.

[ian mcenery]

Spring is beginning to sprung in the garden here are few sights (just as the cold weather is coming). Iris Histriodes Major, Helleborus Torquatus hybrid (quite small flowers) a double reputedly from Elizabeth Strangman with a close up,. Camellia JC Williams and St Ewe both from Caerhays and a favourite daff Narc Cyclaminius which seeds itself all over the garden. Here growing through an Ypsilandra tibetica

[Tim Murphy]

Hi Ian, I've been travelling out ot the former Yugoslavia at least once a year to collect hellebore seed since 2002. I made a spring trip in 2004 as well as a later trip and last year I went to town and had a spring trip to see the hellebores flowering and then on two seed collecting trips; one in May and a later one in June.

That photo of the Montenegrin H. torquatus was taken last spring. These plants are still not showing any signs of growth above ground. I do have a few early torquatus in flower; some from Bosnia and a few from a fantastic site in Croatia, close to the border with Bosnia. One from the latter site is a double flowered plant (first photo below). I found five double flowered plants at this site and it remains the only place I have seen double flowered wild species hellebores.

[Geebo]

Hi all,
Love al the pics are send in the forum,First real winter weather  this morning,first day in the new year,and at least snow in the alps  .
Just posting some more Hellebores for now.
Cheers Geebo.

[mark smyth]

Ian three good tips are
1. dont take a lot of money
2. avoid trying to photograph the Galanthus collection. I wasnt allowed to photograph them last year
3. eat at the nursery. The food is great

[Maggi Young]

Ian McE: re Mark's comment #2: don't worry, I can manage without the galanthus pix!!

[Joakim B]

Great heleborus pics every one

Here comes some magnolia pics. I have talked so much about them.
It is not my plants

A light one in a sunny place
A dark one Magnolia niger? with streglizias
a closeup on a dark magnolia
and finally 3 magnolias in 3 different stages. One already losing petals a second in bud and a third not even in bud.

The one we have on the balcony is most likely halfway to magnolia heaven

Enjoy
Joakim

[fermi de Sousa]

Tony,
Glad you posted a pic of Hyacintella atchleyi as I've just received seed of it from the NARGS Seedex yesterday; donated by Jane McGary who grows many fine bulbs. How long it yours take to flower from seed? How do you grow it?
cheers
fermi

[Jozef Lemmens]

This Liliaceae sp. 'F&W-8693', is flowering for the first time (after 6 years). Does anyone know what it is?

Jozef

[tonyg]

Fermi - Hyacinthella atchleyi took about three years to flower from seed.  I give it my 'standard' treatment in a pot.  Loam based compost with added grit and bonemeal.  It is OK in a cold frame or greenhouse, often flowering very early.  It has been out in the garden for a few years now and seems fine, apart from occasional slug damage to the leaves.

[Maggi Young]

Josef, I would call your nice F&W8693 a Sisyrhinchium, but I am horribly old-fashioned, so I suppose it is now an Olsynium, I would suggest  O.filifolium or perhaps  O. biflora.

[Lesley Cox]

What about Pheiophleps? Actually I thought it looks rather like a Ipheion or that other thing that I think begins with a T. Pheiophleps biflora which it looks a bit like, is beautifully fragrant Jozef. Does it have a scent? or does it small of onion (Ipheion)?

[Anthony Darby]

Here is Colchicum minutum flowering in this morning's gloom.