Hepatica 2019

[Herman Mylemans]

Carstens, you have a VERY BIG collection of beautiful Hepatica's!

[Maggi Young]

Carstens, you have a VERY BIG collection of beautiful Hepatica's!

Indeed ,Carstens, I agree with Herman!  And thank you for  sharing the photos with us!  You seem to have  great success with their cultivation, while others  can struggle with them - what is  your advice ?

[Carsten]

In my view itīs quite easy to satisfy the needs of Hepaticas. They are classic woodlanders of deciduous habitats, even survive in quite dense coniferouse forests. They often grow on slopes and seem to like good drainage. This in mind they will grow easily under hedges or deciduous shrubs and trees. They respond well for a frequent topping of leaf-mould. They will show their full beauty in a sunny spot in spring before the new foliage appears. After flowering they like to be shaded and can cope drought if fully established. They like humidity and are best untouched in their spot - self sowing is more likely as if you clean the area to frequently.
In pots give them a free draining compost and repot every year with the new roots starting to grow after the summer rest - Sep-Nov. I start to shade the greenhouse in February and finaly up to 70% in late March when the new foliage developes - so much earlier then outside.
John Massey of Ashwood Nurseries published a small leaflet of the culture of Hepaticas with is consicely and especially for the UK grower. He recommends a mix of equal parts of John Inns No. 2, bark or leaf-mould and perlite. My compost consists of equal parts of 'Einheitserde' (peat based standard mix), shredded and composted coniferous needles/branches and pumice. I use deep pots like those for Galanthus and add some drainage of pumice, lava and zeolite. (I know that this kind of drainage is controversial) Whatever mix you use, it must be free draining and donīt compress the compost to firmly when repoting. The buds should be above the compost but not too high as the new roots grow from the base of the bud every year. Older plants grown outside in a tidy garden often grow out of the ground as new organic matter is removed.
Maggi, if I was a Hepatica, your garden would be the right place for me 

[Maggi Young]

 

[Leena]

Whatever mix you use, it must be free draining and donīt compress the compost to firmly when repoting. The buds should be above the compost but not too high as the new roots grow from the base of the bud every year. Older plants grown outside in a tidy garden often grow out of the ground as new organic matter is removed.

Thank you Carsten to putting together the requirements of Hepatica.  Most of it I remembered but I hadn't thought of that the new roots grow from the base of the bud every year, and I should also check the plants growing outside that they don't grow out of the ground. Though I don't tidy too much, usually I add more mulch every year, and I think I may have lost self sown seedlings to putting too much mulch on top of them/on top of the seeds. When the seedlings are bigger they are easier to see.

[Maggi Young]

Greetings from B.C.   I was wondering which hepatica this one is ...  having difficulty to paste the image.  It is the deep blue nodding hepatica from this site:  http://www.srgc.org.uk/nurseryws/040404/content.html             5th image down.  I would like to try and find it here in the Vancouver lower mainland or try to find it's seeds.  Thank you.

  Hello again, Monica - Ian Christie is has  been trying to make contact with you  be  the  email address you have  registered to the  Forum - without success - can you  contact  me via the forum please, with your  address etc.   Maggi

[Herman Mylemans]

Hepatica acutiloba 'Louise Koehler' is starting to flower!

[Joakim B]

Nice to see all the flowers
Mine in flower are Hepatica transylvanica normal and Elison Spence
I am very positively surprised with E:S as it is much darker in bud almost purple. In pictures it tend to be quite pale blue
I try to illustrate this



Elison Spence

[Gunilla]

I am very positively surprised with E:S as it is much darker in bud almost purple. In pictures it tend to be quite pale blue

Yes, Joakim. That is my experience too.  H. transsilvanica 'Elison Spence' starts as a dark purple bud and then gets more light blue as it matures.

For some years I have grown a double Hepatica nobilis called 'White Eye' . The flowers have been all blue and I couldn't understand why it was called White Eye.  This year I know 

[Herman Mylemans]

Yes, Joakim. That is my experience too.  H. transsilvanica 'Elison Spence' starts as a dark purple bud and then gets more light blue as it matures.

For some years I have grown a double Hepatica nobilis called 'White Eye' . The flowers have been all blue and I couldn't understand why it was called White Eye.  This year I know 

Gunilla, 'White Eye' is very nice!

[Herman Mylemans]

Hepatica nobilis var. insularis

[kris]

I have enjoyed all the beautiful hepaticas shown in the forum. I specially love the double blue.
In Saskatoon H.transsilvanica performs better than nobilis.
Here are 3 pictures taken today in the garden.
1.Hepatica transsilvanica
2.Hepatica transsilvanica alba
3. Hepatica nobilis

[Herman Mylemans]

I have enjoyed all the beautiful hepaticas shown in the forum. I specially love the double blue.
In Saskatoon H.transsilvanica performs better than nobilis.
Here are 3 pictures taken today in the garden.
1.Hepatica transsilvanica
2.Hepatica transsilvanica alba
3. Hepatica nobilis

Hi Kris, very nice clumps of Hepatica's, here the Hepatica season is gone. The leaves are showing now.

[Carsten]

I have enjoyed all the beautiful hepaticas shown in the forum. I specially love the double blue.
In Saskatoon H.transsilvanica performs better than nobilis.
Here are 3 pictures taken today in the garden.
1.Hepatica transsilvanica
2.Hepatica transsilvanica alba
3. Hepatica nobilis

Hi Kris,
both of your transilvanicas are very impressing! I have never seen them flowering so densly before.

[kris]

Thank you Herman and Cartsens.
Somehow the ordinary Hepaticas like our climate.
I can't get the doubles or rare ones here. No nursery in North America sells them. My only way to get them is by seeds. I have some of them through the donation of some kind forumist. They are little late and they are not as floriferous as the ones posted above.
 My dream plant is the H.nobilis double blue.
Hepatica nobilis double pink is available here and  it is still in buds.