Flowers and foliage April 2008

[mark smyth]

pages 5, 6 and 7 - grown in 1L pots so they must be quite big

[Martin Baxendale]

Thanks Mark and Alan. I must try to get to Aberconwy next time we take the kids rock scrambling around Snowdon, hopefully this Summer. It's a super nursery but getting the family to spend an hour or two there isn't easy when they can be up in the mountains instead. And that other nursery is not far from Blackthorn and quite close to the warehouse of one of my book distributors, where I deliver books a few times a year so should be visitable. Now I just need to find the money!

[Michael J Campbell]

I understand Daphne's are easy to graft and i'm no expert for sure however i have many many seedlings of D. oleoides popping up around the back garden so i'm tempted to have ago on my own and use these as rootstock on a few other different D's. i'd like to increase.

Dave, you are correct,Daphne's are easy to graft, and easy to root from cuttings,it is growing them on that poses the problems. You will find that the rootstock you mentioned might not be compatible with some of the varieties you want to propagate. If they are that easy why isn't there more of them generally available in the nurseries,and why are they so expensive.?
Let me know how you get on.

[Maggi Young]

If they are that easy why isn't there more of them generally available in the nurseries,and why are they so expensive?
 

Indeed, Michael!  There's often a clue . In skilled hands the beginning is straigthtforward enough, it is the growing on that is the tricky bit, eh?

[Anthony Darby]

Hard graft then maggi! 

[Lesley Cox]

Gerd, what is Saruma henryi please?

Dave, your D. oleoides is much bigger than mine. I've had it about 25 years and it's never grown higher than about 20cms!

This is an incredible thread, ESPECIALLY Michael's posting, all truly wonderful, beautiful, helpful. Thank you so much Michael and everyone.

And a warm, though belated, welcome to Dimitri, from the southern hemisphere. I like your atavar, with your head as well as well as your heart, obviously in the right place

[Gerdk]

Gerd, what is Saruma henryi please?

Lesley,
It is a member of the Aristolochiaceae - a 'new' woodland plant from China, deciduous and seems to be quite hardy. Seeds were offered by SRGC, AGS and NARGS.

Gerd

[t00lie]

Quote from Michael...
"Dave, you are correct,Daphne's are easy to graft, and easy to root from cuttings,it is growing them on that poses the problems. You will find that the rootstock you mentioned might not be compatible with some of the varieties you want to propagate. If they are that easy why isn't there more of them generally available in the nurseries,and why are they so expensive.?
Let me know how you get on."

Damn it and i had visions of a weeping scented Daphne shrub --ie guess my idea of a D. oleoides rootstock at a metre high ,grafted with D.blagayana  isn't a goer after all..Smile.Lol.

On a more serious note thank you Michael for the warning --as i say i'm only a learner so it will be a bit of --one foot forward --two feet back for a while.I'll probably end up contacting you for advice.

Lesley i remember last year ? you showed a pic on this forum of your D. oleoides in fruit --so much smaller than mine.Yours looked a beauty ideally suited for a trough.Has it any seed this year ??.Hint.

Cheers Dave.

[Katherine J]

This weekend we had to work, so had only one afternoon for walking. BUT, we found a place near Budapest with plenty of Iris pumila just in full bloom. There were many color variations.
Here are some pix:

[Katherine J]

And:

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Great selection Kata !!!!
Beautiful wild plants - thanks for showing us.

[Katherine J]

Sorry for the not too sharp pics. Here are the last three:

[Paul T]

Kathrine,

Very cool to see them in the wild.  Some very nice colour forms there!! 

[johanneshoeller]

Flowering Androsace hausmannii seedlings and Androsace villosa ssp.?
I sent wild collected seed to Franz H., I lost all plants and then Franz sent back me his seed. I think this year I will have seed again.

[gote]

Katherine,
Fantastic Irises.
they look as good as the named varieties.
I am making a mental note to look out for seeds next season.
Göte