Hepatica 2021

[kris]

Nice pictures Leena and Gabriela. There is a set back in temperature and windy outside. Snowing yesterday. The weather will be better after 3 days. All the hepatica flowers are suffering with snow and wind.

[Gabriela]

Very nice and a lot of flowers, Gabriela!

Here Hepaticas are slowly opening more, but still only H.pubescens is fully flowering. They have clumped up nicely (two are not doing so well, others are very good). I am so glad it has survived so well here (now for two winters). H.nobilis is almost opening in sunny spots and H.japonica shows colour.
Pictures of two of my H.japonica ex Hohobeni plants today  : Thank you Carsten!

Cool weather is perfect for a long Hepatica flowering Leena! Here, after a too warm period and torrential rains quite a few flowers have been fading fast.
Catching back with few more H. acutiloba from last week, in the wild this time:

[Leena]

So lovely views from the woods. And that multipetal form is really nice!
This spring seems to be a good one for spring flowers, and though there have been freezing nights (last night -4), days have been now sunny and +10 or even more, which is enough for snowdrops and other plants to open their flowers. And for first bees and butterflies.
First H.hepaticas are opening, and first of the H.japonica to open fully is 'Hakurin'. It is perfect this spring!

[Herman Mylemans]

Gabriela and Leena, it is a pleasure to see your Hepatica's. Thanks a lot.
I have the impression that fewer people are posting photos of Hepatica's than last year.

[Carsten]

Very nice plants, Leena and Gabriela! Good to see yours flowering (and yours, Kris!) while here the season came to an end.

[Gabriela]

So lovely views from the woods. And that multipetal form is really nice!
This spring seems to be a good one for spring flowers, and though there have been freezing nights (last night -4), days have been now sunny and +10 or even more, which is enough for snowdrops and other plants to open their flowers. And for first bees and butterflies.
First H.hepaticas are opening, and first of the H.japonica to open fully is 'Hakurin'. It is perfect this spring!

Hakurin does look like the perfect Hepatica Leena

[Gabriela]

Gabriela and Leena, it is a pleasure to see your Hepatica's. Thanks a lot.
I have the impression that fewer people are posting photos of Hepatica's than last year.

I think is just the same Herman. There are always more pictures from the potted collections early in the spring, then fewer from people growing them in the ground or from the wild.

It is more difficult to take good pictures with plants growing in the ground, even in the garden. Too much sun, too cloudy, or too much rain....
In the woods is even more complicated, being there at the right time when the flowers open and in the right day. I take many more pictures just for my records but they are not 'to show' quality.
Here's one 'wet' H. americana from the garden You almost feel sorry for it!


One blue H. acutiloba wasn't too bad, but a pink one I wanted to take a photo was too splashed with soil.

[Herman Mylemans]

I think is just the same Herman. There are always more pictures from the potted collections early in the spring, then fewer from people growing them in the ground or from the wild.

It is more difficult to take good pictures with plants growing in the ground, even in the garden. Too much sun, too cloudy, or too much rain....
In the woods is even more complicated, being there at the right time when the flowers open and in the right day. I take many more pictures just for my records but they are not 'to show' quality.
Here's one 'wet' H. americana from the garden You almost feel sorry for it!
One blue H. acutiloba wasn't too bad, but a pink one I wanted to take a photo was too splashed with soil.

Gabriela, your americana has a lot of hairs! Indeed it is more difficult to take pictures in the garden and the plants have damage of the weather or slugs. But they are still lovely. I also think more and more people are using other ways like facebook, Instagram, flickr ...

[Maggi Young]

Gabriela, your americana has a lot of hairs! Indeed it is more difficult to take pictures in the garden and the plants have damage of the weather or slugs. But they are still lovely. I also think more and more people are using other ways like facebook, Instagram, flickr ...

I am sure you are  correct, Herman, these  are the  "fashionable" places  right  now  - but  I am happy  that this Forum still has faithful members who support  it, and  contribute their experience  to this place - providing knowledge to any  who come to learn, as well as  pretty  pictures !

[Maggi Young]

From Dimitri Zubov -


Hepatica nobilis, Kiev Region, Ukraine

[Herman Mylemans]

Hepatica nobilis 'Alba Plena' found in Borgholm is still flowering.

Hepatica acutiloba 'Louise Koehler' is starting.

[Joakim B]

Nice ones Herman and lovely foliage on Louise Koehler.

A question to you all!
How different are the different alba plena?

I see "Irish", "Stockholm" and "Borgholm" / "Öland" form. I have seen nobilis alba plena for sale and have been tempted but as it has not been named I have hesitated.
Anyone know of a site that can show differences?

Normal Hepatica Flowers change a bit in colour with sun/ shade and during their maturity. Same with size of flowers between same plant so I wonder how different they are.

I am also interested to know how to see a difference between nobilis and japonica as some nobilis doubles are sometimes offered for high prizes. I am afraid that someone dishonest has bought a japonica and sell it for 3 times higher as nobilis and I for sure do not like to spend money for plants that might be fakes and have a risk of not being fully hard for me.

[Gabriela]

Gorgeous H. nobilis from Ukraine!

Gabriela, your americana has a lot of hairs! Indeed it is more difficult to take pictures in the garden and the plants have damage of the weather or slugs. But they are still lovely. I also think more and more people are using other ways like facebook, Instagram, flickr ...

All H. americana from my region are quite 'hairy' Herman. They are more noticeable when the plants are wet I suppose.

'Louise Koehler' is such a beauty! So interesting to see that it flowers after the new foliage has grown. All others H. acutiloba are flowering before the new foliage appears.

[Leena]

It is more difficult to take good pictures with plants growing in the ground, even in the garden. Too much sun, too cloudy, or too much rain....

H.americana from your seeds has started to flower also here.  They have much shorter flower stems than my native H.nobilis, I remember this was also last year. Flowers are different shade of blue and very nice.
Is it typical of them to be shorter plants than H.nobilis? Short flower stems make taking pictures very difficult, and then there is sun to consider of flowers are looking in the wrong way or something else to make taking pictures difficult.

[Leena]

I am also interested to know how to see a difference between nobilis and japonica as some nobilis doubles are sometimes offered for high prizes. I am afraid that someone dishonest has bought a japonica and sell it for 3 times higher as nobilis and I for sure do not like to spend money for plants that might be fakes and have a risk of not being fully hard for me.

I don't know the answer to your question about the differences, but I think the best way is to buy only from a known reputable seller. It is the same with snowdrops when the differences may be very small, and the temptation to sell plants with wrong names may be high, so buying from someone known to have good reputation (even if the price is higher) is  only way to be sure to get the right plant.