Hepatica 2020

[Carsten]

Some Hepaticas in a vase
Starting at the top clockwise
Hepatica nobilis double
Hepatica japonica
Hepatica nobilis 'Buttercup'
Hepatica acuta 'Nimbus'
Hepatica nobilis 'Blueberry'
Hepatica japonica

[Carsten]

In 2017 I crossed Hepatica nob. var. nobilis 'Bavarian Blue' with Hepatica falconeri.
The first plants started to flower now. They all look very similar. The leaves are a mixture of both parents and the hybrids are summergreen as falconeri is. They start with an intensiv dark lilac blue and as the flower matures it gets lighter and ends up in a very light blue.

[Carsten]

Three different filled F2 seedlings of Hepatica pyrenaica x Hepatica nobilis 'Bolette'.

[Carsten]

Outside things start to flower.
These are all seedlings of Hepatica nobilis.

[Carolyn]

Wow! fantastic colours in the vase.
All beautiful. Thanks for posting, Carsten.

[Carsten]

Hepatica nobilis 'Bavarian Blue' and companions. A blue nobilis and it´s seedlings and the double japonica 'Shirayuki'.

[Herman Mylemans]

Beautiful show in your garden Carsten!

[Carsten]

And some Hepatica x schlyteri (maxima x nobilis/japonica/acuta)
The dark blue is with nobilis, the pink with 'japonica 'Touyama shigure' and the light blue/whites are crosses with acuta.

[Carsten]

Hepatica xmedia 'Königin Louise' (that says the lable of the late B. Moesch-de Haan) it looks more like x euroasiatica 'Prof. Friedrich Hildebrandt' MA


Hepatica nobilis 'Finska Flaggan'


Hepatica nobilis 'Ohleila' with 'Bergfexing'


Hepatica obtusa seedling


Hepatica japonica 'Shinku' with a white/rose japonica to get the real deep red right on the pic

[Carsten]

... and the last 5 pics. All are own japonica seedlings.

[Maggi Young]

some  photos  from Ian Christie (Ian, the  Christie  Kind)

[Leena]

There is no end to beautiful Hepaticas! I am overwhelmed.

'Millstream Merlin' is really nice in colour and shape.
Carsten, what combination can result in a blue and white like in your first H.nobilis seedling picture? Not just blue x white, there must be something else in parentage?
Pictures of your Hepaticas outside look so happy and sunny, the plants really enjoy the spring sun and grow so well.
Is there a lot of sand in the soil?

[Carsten]

Carsten, what combination can result in a blue and white like in your first H.nobilis seedling picture? Not just blue x white, there must be something else in parentage?
Pictures of your Hepaticas outside look so happy and sunny, the plants really enjoy the spring sun and grow so well.
Is there a lot of sand in the soil?

This seedling is not a blue x white but a self pollinated bicoloured typ. Some seedlings came true, one was bicouloured in pink and the rest is white. I can send you one of the seedlings next week, too - if you like 
In one of my raised beds I have a lot of pumice. This might be your idea of sand? Not ideal for Hepaticas as they easily freese up and roots are cut but fine for the rest of the plants in the bed.

[Leena]

This seedling is not a blue x white but a self pollinated bicoloured typ. Some seedlings came true, one was bicouloured in pink and the rest is white. I can send you one of the seedlings next week, too - if you like 

Carsten, thank you . So to get a bicoloured you need to have a bicoured parent.

In one of my raised beds I have a lot of pumice. This might be your idea of sand? Not ideal for Hepaticas as they easily freese up and roots are cut but fine for the rest of the plants in the bed.

Yes, here ground freezing may be a problem and if it then cuts the roots, it is bad. I have tried to make my special Hepatica beds as free draining as possible using sand and grit, and didn't think about how it might affect roots when the ground freezes (this winter its been freeze and melt and freeze and melt..). So far most look ok with flowers coming up.

[Carsten]

Carsten, thank you . So to get a bicoloured you need to have a bicoured parent.

This helps a lot   I had good results with bicouloured, spotted and maiden forms that fall reliable as the mother plant. This might be different with plants that had been cossed before and therefore result in a wider range of shapes.