Early January 2007

[Maggi Young]

Thank you, Geebo, you are a really good Guy for this!

In all seriousness, I cannot overstate the expansion of our knowledge and therefore enjoyment of our plants that we have gained from our long and happy membership of the SRGC. Though the merits of the truly wonderful Journal, seed exchange etc. cannot be denied I must also say that what we shall always cherish most are the friendships we have made all over the world through a mutual love of the wee wild and mountain flowers.  It has been this passion for the camaraderie we have found in the the SRGC and wider plant world that has made us so determined to do as much as we can to 'evangelise' the appeal of alpine plants through this website and to keep this site open to all, and with an atmosphere of old friends, gathering for a chat. That is surely the nicest way to share our experiences of growing around the world and learn something new every day? From the numbers of you out there, it does seem you agree!! If you agree and you are not yet a paid-up member of the SRGC, I heartily recommend you to join; it's not expensive and the Journal alone is worth it, as far as I'm concerned. Mind you, that could be because I never get to choose which seeds we request from the exchange!

[Paddy Tobin]

Oh god, Maggi,

You should be in sales.

OK, I'll join up but you make sure you tell those in high office that it is because of the website and not the journal or the seeds.

Paddy

[Maggi Young]

Paddy says "Oh god, Maggi"
So, Paddy, you've got my point about my being an evangelist, then?

He continues "You should be in sales."
Paddy, if I WERE in sales, I'd be getting paid!

"OK, I'll join up but you make sure you tell those in high office that it is because of the website and not the journal or the seeds."

Fear not, our esteemed President Ian, the Christie kind, is well aware of the number of members coming to the club via the website and this is why he has always been such a staunch supporter of it. I'll rub it in to the rest of 'em, though, just for the hell of it!!

[Lesley Cox]

Darren's gymnospermium looks amazing. So pleased I have some seedlings. How long will they take to flower do you think? They are two years old now and died down (summer) for the second time.

[Lesley Cox]

Maggi, how can you bear NOT getting to choose at least some of the seeds? Roger and I belong as family members and while he has learned to tell an erythronium from a frit, thankfully he has no interest in choosing his allocation of seeds. If he wanted to, well, I SUPPOSE I'd let him - well, maybe not, so Maggi, just grin and bear it. I can understand that Ian is maybe selfish here. I have to admit I would be too.

[Lesley Cox]

Thanks Josef and Ian for advice about Tropaeolum azureum. I once saw a John Watson pic of it, growing in what appeared to be a hot scree-like place and that has influenced me ever since. I'll get it into the cool right away.

Can't agree too much with the advice to join SRGC. The  fabulous Forum is just one part of an amazingly good club. I think I joined in 1964. That's when my Journals started anyway and though I've sometimes paid my sub late (and seed late this year too, smack hands) I would never dream of NOT belonging. So jump to it, anyone who doesn't belong right now.

[Darren]

Hi All,
             Many thanks for your kind comments on my plants - having seen your own amazing pictures this is praise indeed! Great to see so many pledges to join the Club. I note the AGS in their annual report mention their declining membership along with those of other societies. I think the club can buck this trend and I hope we can inspire those who first meet us via this site with our plants. And, of course, the lovely people who grow them!

Lesley - I have never had seed from my Gymnospermium - does it need two clones i wonder? It's relative Bongardia used to self sow in my plunge and i only had one plant so perhaps not. Bongardia flowered in year 3 with an unrestricted root run. It might take longer in a pot.

Ian - I got some seeds of Trop azureum in the club exchange. When do I sow them? Now? or do I keep them at room temperature until late summer and sow them then like other 'bulbs'?

With regard to Gladiolus maculatus - I can't post a picture of the scent so you will have to take my word for it that it is lovely in this regard too. It looks like i might have some seed in the summer so shout if you want a few - it needs to be kept frost free like most cape bulbs.

Darren.


Darren.

[Ian Y]

Darren I can say that the Membership of the SRGC has been holding its own and most new Members come via the web site.
However the more that join this way the better for us all as it gives me more powers of persuasion at Council when we are discussing budgets and spending on the site.
So if you like the site and want to see it get better and you are not an SRGC Member do as Darren and all the others say.

As to your Tropaeolum seed I have no idea what to do with it for best results it can be very erratic in germination.
I would sow it and let it have some of the weather in an open frame and keep a watch on it.
I have just moved my pot of seeds sown last September inside as there are a few germinating now.
I have also heard that it performs best if it has had a warm dry period of storage and I would presume that is what your seeds have had since they were collected last spring.

[Tim Murphy]

Species hellebores are starting to flower here. The first photo shows H. croaticus from a site in Republika Srpska. The second and third photos are also of H. croaticus (and are of the same plant) but this one originates from northeast Croatia. It's a little unusual because more violet would normally be seen in the flower colour. The fourth photo is also of H. croaticus from the same site as the pale flowered plant.

The fifth photo shows H. orientalis orientalis from Tblisi, Georgia. The sixth photo is of H. orientalis abchasicus, also from Georgia.

Photo number seven is of H. purpurascens from a fantastic site in northwest Hungary.

The rest of the photos are of random hybrids.

[Alpinejan]

Paddy , I attendet that  Bulb Despots lecture in  May 2005 when he was in Holland telling us how we should handle bulbs (!), mind you, apart from the people living in Turkey we are the experts (6 x !) Really, I was happy my friend Zdenek from the chech republik told that The great Evangelist ever was named Yan Hus instead of Y Young. If you want to visit the Conference in Chechia there is a place for you in my car.
Yours truly jan   ( hey the more my Hearth is involved the more I need a dictionary, how about You Paddy ? )                                                                                                                   

[tonyg]

A couple of miscellaneous bulbs (OK so there is a Colchicum thread somewhere!) Colchicum hungaricum White form, a nice wee thing which I acquired two of in 1991, now a decent potful but always prone to become slug fodder
Hyacinthella atchleyi, raised from exchange seed is a bit of a mystery.  I cannot find any mention of it in my books ... can you?

Clematis orientalis type in seed is relevant in that I cannot remember who wanted some of the seed of my small flowered variant raised from seed collected in the wild as C akebioides by David & Stella Rankin (SRGC - Edinburgh).  The seed is finally ripe, if you want some mail me privately and I will arrange to send you some.  Last pic is same clematis in flower last autumn.

[Anthony Darby]

I have Colchicum minutum flowering just now!

[Geebo]

Hi Lesley,
In the quest of Tropaeolum Azureum could I refer to:


Graham Buchanan-Dunlop
Address removed, anyone wishing to make contact do so through moderators.

Who holds the British National  Collection of Tropaeolum since 1983
 I do not know his email address.
Cheers.
Geebo

[John Forrest]

Not so sure Graham would appreciate his name and address being broadcast on the Forum, unless he gave his permission of course. Might be an idea to send these via e-mail. Just a thought, not a criticism.

[Paddy Tobin]

Tim,

I particularly like the last three hellebores you posted earlier, nice colour and good arrangements of petals.

Below is a selection of Helleborus x hybridus from the garden. These are all self-sown seedlings which I lifted and planted out about two years ago to fill up a bed, provide ground cover, a little colour etc. Despite their humble origins they are good garden plants - at least they were very cheap and will hold the fort until I decide I want to replace them with something I find more interesting.

Paddy