Epigaea repens

[Maggi Young]

This topic has been created by comments made, in another thread, about Epigaea repens, by John W. in Nova Scotia.....

"Spring has been desperately late here and the snowdrops in the south, they say, are a month late.  I spent the afternoon scouring some big drifts of Galanthus nivalis in the Digby area of Nova Scotia. Most were growing in back gardens and cascaded down the wet slopes. The soil looked very rich and very damp.
A memorable highlight of the day was the fragrance of our native Epigaea repens (our provincial flower) wafting in the Spring air.  I examined the nearby clumps but only found a few opened flowers hidden in the moss. It will be quite something when the many buds open."
johnw



To which I replied:
Great to see such healthy snowies, John.... but.... can I ask you ( kindly, please?) for a photo of the Epigaea repens? That is just SUCH a wonderful plant.... it and E. gaulterioides are two of my MOST favourite plants EVER!! 

[Gerdk]

For me too, P L E A S E !

Gerd

[johnw]

Great to se such healthy snowies, John.... but.... can i ask you ( kindly, please?) for a photo of the Epigaea repens? That is just SUCH a wonderful plant.... it and E. gaulterioides are two of my mMOST favourite plants EVER!! 

Maggi - Unfortunately I didn't photograph the Epigaea but I did pick a bunch and have them inside. I will photograph them when they open and some locals in the wild when they flower. Usually ladies come by the door selling bouquets but I haven't seen them around yet.

Epigaea is very abundant here and difficult to establish in the garden.  They grow and flower best in full sun, amazing what rotten mineral soil they grow in.

johnw

[Maggi Young]

Usually ladies come by the door selling bouquets but I haven't seen them around yet.

  Bouquets? Of epigaeas??? Swoon!      

[johnw]

Usually ladies come by the door selling bouquets but I haven't seen them around yet.

  Bouquets? Of epigaeas??? Swoon!      

These will have to do for the moment. Cut from one clump 1 meter across growing wild on my land in the south yesterday. This is clump is growing in heavy soil overlaid with moss and acidic wood and leaf littler. Note how tight in bud they are. Why the name Mayflower as they are usually out here in late March or early April? Sometimes a few in a winter thaw in January or February. Along the highways they tend to grow in opoor mineral soil and stay in small tight clumps.

johnw

[Maggi Young]

...so these tight buds will open now they are cut and in water, John? 
How fantastic... I can't believe it.... just as well you didn't tell us all this on the 1st April

[johnw]

...so these tight buds will open now they are cut and in water, John? 
How fantastic... I can't believe it.... just as well you didn't tell us all this on the 1st April

Maggi

Of course they'll open!  They are pretty tight for this late date.  Give them 36 hours or so and I'll re-photograph them.

johnw

[Lesley Cox]

I may be able to supply a small picture later today. For some reason my E. repens is flowering now, even better than it did in the spring and yes, mine too is deliciously scented. I'm interested to hear John, that it flowers best in full sun. Mine gets quite a lot of sun but not full, which would be pretty devastating here in summer I think. E. asiatica also flowers well in sun and sometimes gets very dry but has never lost a leaf because of that so I think they're reasonably tough. Alas I've not ever had E. gaultherioides. Do you get seed on your Maggi? I had good seed on asiatica in the summer and this is now sown. It was raised from SRGC seed about 5 years ago. E. repens was bought as a small plant from Ann Cartman.

[johnw]

I'm interested to hear John, that it flowers best in full sun. Mine gets quite a lot of sun but not full, which would be pretty devastating here in summer I think.

Leslie - We're a tad south of latitude 45 here in Halifax.  We do get a fair bit of overcast and fog in the spring and early and latter part of the summer so the sun is tempered a bit.  It can be sunny and dry in late July and August, sometimes even into September. Why not try to root a piece now and try it in full sun next year? How hot does it get there near Dunedin? Summer rain?

I see at this site      http://nymf.bbg.org/profile_species_tech.asp?id=327          the type of var. glabrifolia is from Middleton, NS in the Annapolis Valley. The soil there is very sandy and it can get hot and parched in the summer.

I think E. gautherioides would be hopeless here. A friend has lost it in eastern Newfoundland.

Maggi - Does E. gaultherioides grow well outdoors with you? I saw it at the Stones and at Glendoick but they were in frames.

johnw

[Maggi Young]

I think frames are better for both E. gaultherioides and asiatica here. Don't have an E. repens 

[Lesley Cox]

I found E. repens jolly difficult to photograph as all the flowers are on the extremities and only a few at a time visible in the camera screen, so the first pic is largely greenery but I picked 3 little sprigs and took them separately. They're now in a little vase in the kitchen, nicely scented when I walk past. I see there is a good rooted patch on the plant (which is about 30 cms across) so I might detach that and try it in a sunnier spot. Seems almost wicked somehow as I would have expected it to do best in deep shade.

[Lesley Cox]

We get to high 20s (C) most summers John and it can be very dry as well but this summer just past has been into mid 30s on many days, and not a drop of water for weeks on end. I've done some watering of this particular raised bed as it has plants which demand a cooler, moister soil but not nearly so much watering as I would have liked, as we rely on rain only for our water supply, so most things have been quite dry at some times. On the whole, they've stood up very well. Some look a bit shabby but nothing has died.

[johnw]

We get to high 20s (C) most summers John and it can be very dry as well but this summer just past has been into mid 30s on many days, and not a drop of water for weeks on end. I've done some watering of this particular raised bed as it has plants which demand a cooler, moister soil but not nearly so much watering as I would have liked, as we rely on rain only for our water supply, so most things have been quite dry at some times. On the whole, they've stood up very well. Some look a bit shabby but nothing has died.

Leslie - I think your Epigaea will be fine in the sun. I keep forgetting it can take heat as it is native in New England where summers are sweltering.

We can get to the upper twenties celsius in the summer as well - a few days only - but it cools off at night.

A lovely Spring day here. The temperature jumped from 0c at 7 am to 18c this afternoon.  I might get some E. shots tomorrow.

johnw

[Afloden]

Here is an Epigaea blooming two weeks ago at a park near my house in eastern Tennessee. I am still searching for some that smell pleasant. I find the scent to have a bit of mildew hidden in the spiciness. It may be the soil they grow in though that has the mildew scent.

 Aaron Floden
 Knoxville, TN

[Gerdk]

Lesley, Aaron,
Thank you both for the pretty Epigaea pics - one of the desirable plants, which seem to resent all attemps to grow it under my conditions.

Gerd