May 2017 in the Northern Hemisphere

[Leucogenes]

Edraianthus serpyllifolium
Saxifraga "Jaromir"
Helichrysum confertifollium

[meanie]

Cantua buxifolia 'Dancing Oaks'

What winter protection does it get Micheal?
I could grow it outdoors but last years growth would always die which makes the whole exercise pointless!

[Lesley Cox]

A wonderful red saxifrage Leucogenes. I see the Dutch and probably the Czechs and probably Adrian Young as well, are now producing silver encrusted seedlings with pure red, (and a rich red at that) seedlings. Whatever next, one wonders.

Roma I see what you mean about the brown tips on the Haberlea 'Connie Davidson' but golly, with flowering like that I wouldn't be complaining too much. Is it (she) straight haberlea or is there some ramonda in the mix too? (Probably not now I look at the foliage again.)Your white haberlea is also a stunner. I keep dividing mine for my tiny nursery so there's never very much of it but like yours the foliage stays clean while my "ordinary" ferdinandi-coburgi tends towards the brown tip syndrome. H. rhodopensis doesn't seem to do that with me.)

[meanie]

In theory, Shelagh and Meannie, there is no reason why X Ramberlea 'Inchgarth' shouldn't survive planted out of doors as both parents are perfectly hardy even in Aberdeen.  We never got as far as having enough material to try it outside though, and now having moved to a 'postage stamp' garden, I no longer have it.  I do have H. ferdinandi-coburgii 'Connie Davidson' the male parent of the hybrid, flowering beautifully right now.

Thanks for the info! Haberlea seed seems quite easy to find. Protection from excessive winter wet (like Rehmannia) I presume?

[Michael J Campbell]

What winter protection does it get Micheal?
I could grow it outdoors but last years growth would always die which makes the whole exercise pointless!

It sat under a overhanging canopy at the front of the house facing south just sheltered from the rain, but had to tolerate the wind and whatever frost there was.  I think it needs to be pot-bound and stressed a little to induce it to flower. I have some planted against a south facing wall but while they survive the winter they never flower.

[kris]

Townsendia spathulata

[kris]

Penstemon duchenensis

[Leucogenes]

Fantastic ... Kris. Especially the Townsendia spathulata. I like this style especially. For me, she has not yet blossomed.

[shelagh]

Thanks for the pictures and the info Roma.  We grow H. rhodopensis virginialis and also the blue variety. We find the white one much more vigorous and it does hold it's flowers well.  In fact on the show bench you don't often see the blue at all.

[astragalus]

Penstemon duchenensis

Wonderful plant beautifully grown. Congratulations.

[kris]

Thanks for the comment.
The Penstemon I did not do anything special.Got the seeds from Alplains 3years ago.
The Townsendia is monocarpic.  It seeds itself. so I always get one or two seedlings every year.

[Rick R.]

I am told that Townsendia spathulata is one of the prettiest, but also one of the most moisture sensitive townsendias.
 Yours is just fantastic, Kris!  Whow big is that flower in your pic?

[kris]

Rick
It is about 2 inches in diameter.
Today it looks even bigger and I can't see  the leaves around it now.
The plant itself is very pretty and look like a small green flower.
It is in the rock garden . Has lots of hairs but less than the 'cotton ball'.Dryish side. I do not know where I got the seeds.
If  the plant makes seed and anyone wants it I can send.

[Rick R.]

Wow, that's big!

I've grown a three Townsendia species from seed before.  I never use a sterilized or pasteurized mix, and they are the only things that consistently succumb to damping off.  Now I start the seed on a bed of #1 chic grit over the mix and under a layer of #2 chic grit, and that fixed the problem. 

. 
I grew T. spathulata from the NARGS seed ex. Does this look like T. spathulata?  The pot had tipped over and the layer of grit fell out, so their "necks" are very visible.

[kris]

May be my plant is Townsendia condensata.
I have a link here -Wisley alpine log.
The plant look exactly like the one in this link.
http://www.srgc.org.uk/wisley/2007/190907/log.html