Eranthis 2023

[Gail]

It is a dull rainy day here but the first of the aconites are flowering. I brought a couple of pots indoors for a while to encourage them to open up - such a lovely honey fragrance...

Eranthis hyemalis ‘Winterzauber’


Eranthis hyemalis 'Lightening'

[Maggi Young]

When the pollen starts to run you'll need to tickle the flowers yourself, Gail - I don't suppose there are too many natural pollinators around right now!

[Mariette]

Very beautiful pictures, Gail! ´Lightning´ is one on my wish list, as the pale yellow ones are less likely to steal the show growing next to snowdrops.

[Gail]

When the pollen starts to run you'll need to tickle the flowers yourself,

I've got the paintbrush ready...

[Peppa]

It is a dull rainy day here but the first of the aconites are flowering. I brought a couple of pots indoors for a while to encourage them to open up - such a lovely honey fragrance...

Very pretty! I didn't realize that they have a nice scent! One of the beneficial things about bringing plants inside when it's cold is that you get to smell the fragrance when you might not normally be able to.

[Peppa]

While I am waiting for the flowers of the European Eranthis, E. pinnatifida has started to bloom.

[Gail]

Oh, lovely Pippa. Does that one have a fragrance?

[Peppa]

Oh, lovely Pippa. Does that one have a fragrance?

Thanks Gail! After I saw your comment, I brought my pots into my kitchen and tried to smell the flowers, but I couldn't detect any scent at all this time. I'm not sure whether E. pinnatifida doesn't have any scent, or if it's just my clones. From now on, I will have to sniff every Eranthis I come across!

[Gail]

  They are quite variable - Winterzauber is a much richer honey scent than Lightening.

[Peppa]

They are quite variable - Winterzauber is a much richer honey scent than Lightening.

Interesting!

Since I don't have enough E. pinnatifida growing right now to tell for sure, I asked my Japanese nursery friends who have grown it for many years and none of them have ever noticed any fragrance on E. pinnatifida so far. I thought that was very interesting, and it reminds me of Hepatica: Some Japanese Hepatica and H. acutiloba have fragrance, but I haven't found any H. nobilis with a scent.

[Stefan B.]

The first blooming eranthis in my garden.

Eranthis `Zitronenfalter` 

[YT]

The latest Eranthis pinnatifida seedling with semi-double albino flower from intense breeding programme is now put up for an internet auction site in JP.

https://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/o1081690748

[Herman Mylemans]

Eranthis hyemalis 'Noël Ayres'

Eranthis hyemalis 'Schwefelglanz'

Eranthis x tubergenii ‘Sachsengold’

Eranthis hyemalis 'Zitronenfalter' flowers a little earlier than the others

[MarcR]

Herman,

Those named cultivars of hymales are certainly showy! I don't grow named cultivars in my garden because as much as possible, I try to display plants as they grow in nature. When I say 'as much as possible' I acknowledge that I lack the resources to create cliffs, rivers or mountainsides.

[Carsten]

Eranthis hyemalis 'Noël Ayres'

Eranthis hyemalis 'Schwefelglanz'

Eranthis x tubergenii ‘Sachsengold’

Eranthis hyemalis 'Zitronenfalter' flowers a little earlier than the others

Very nice, Herman! Spring is standing at the door!