Soldanella culture

[Michael]

Hello!

I would like to ask the Soldanella experts if there are species which can be grown "successfully" with the folowing range of conditions:

on winter 10º at night 15ºC day
on summer 15ºc night 22ºc day
humidity 80% and above
40% shade

Does S. carpatica adapt to these conditions, or they really need cold dormancy?
I am asking this, because since they are evergreen, i was hoping of a possibility that the plant could adapt at those conditions and thrive in a long term basis
Thanks
Michael

[Maggi Young]

Michael, I am no expert on Soldanella... they barely manage to persit with us nowadays but I would be very surprised if any Soldanella would like your Madeiran climate.

[Michael]

But Maggi, isnt scotland very cold during winter? I wonder why they dont thrive there. Perhaps there is another unknown essential requirement more important to the plant than the winter temperature itself?

[Maggi Young]

I believe that Soldanellas really like to be covered safely with snow during the winter... we cannot provide that here, and you will find it difficult in Madeira, eh?!!

[Michael]

And how about put the pot in a freezer with temperatures aroun -15ºC for 2 months? The problem is that they are evergreen and there is no light there....

[Maggi Young]

And how about put the pot in a freezer with temperatures aroun -15ºC for 2 months? The problem is that they are evergreen and there is no light there....

Exactly, you would need a refridgerated  light box... a rather expensive solution!

[David Shaw]

We can 'grow' Soldanella quite readily here in Moray - but getting them to flower is an entirely different matter!

[Susan Band]

When I grew soldanellas for selling it was no problem getting them to flower in pots, but take one for the garden and you never again saw a flower I think it was partly due to the fact that the ones in pots were covered over the winter, the flower buds are formed in the autumn and something makes them abort and never develop in the garden.
Susan

[Michael]

Susan, you mean the pots covered with what? snow? So they form the buds in autumn and then wait for spring to come to send them out?

[Susan Band]

I was meaning glass, or dutch lights as we call the glass we cover our frames with.
If you look during the winter you can see clusters of tiny flower buds hiding in the leaves, but often these fail to develop any further. Don't know why, rot/frost? Under glass you certainly have a better chance of flowering in our climate.
Susan

[johnw]

Maggi - The Soldanellas do well here and flower despite winters that are very cold and often snowless.  I think perhaps it is not quite cold enough to lock them into dormancy in Aberdeen ().

The problematic ones here are those we lust after most - pusilla and minima - as they can be heaved out of the ground in our frequent freeze/thaw cycles.

johnw - another stellar spring day to 18c with Magnolias popping.

[Lesley Cox]

Soldanellas flower for me too, in troughs and raised beds rather than the open garden. We have minimal snow compared with Scotland or middle Europe and it is likely to be a few days of thaw/snow/thaw/snow/thaw, rather than a nice consistent snow cover for days or weeks on end.

[Maggi Young]

Someone a exhibiting at the RHS/AGS Harrogate Show does not have too many problems cultivating Soldanella and getting lots of flowers.... see the Harrogate Show page, here:
http://www.srgc.org.uk/smf/index.php?topic=1705.0

The lovely Soldanella is the last photo in Mick's post ....Re: AGS Harrogate Show 26 April 2008
« Reply #12 on: April 27, 2008, 09:43:23 PM »
 
Really super exhibit, isn't it?

[Michael]

Oh woa! That plant let me speechless! It should be a decade old at least!
I wish i could knew Mick's secret!!

[Mick McLoughlin]

Michael,
Don't get carried away Micks only secret was to take the picture at the Harrogate show on saturday.
I did have a few flowers on Soldanella minima last year, picture attached. But it seems to have gone walkabout this year.
I have a couple of flowers on Soldanella alpina this year I'll try and get a picture later this week. Don't asked me for a secret I just plant 'em.